Don't Say I Didn't Warn You
by Eternal Musing
Summary: A fanfic wrote for the sole purpose of keeping the genre Original Plotline alive in the sea of MarySues, past lives, celestial powers and tragic love. Using the cliche Fifth member joining plot as the start, a display of just how unique a OC plot can be.
1. Dedication

This fanfic is dedicated to SatAnubis116:

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Farewell Sat, I'll be searching for you at the end of my journey...


	2. And As Luck Would Have It

Riz:

Hello mere humans. If you are a oldie, then don't worry about this; I'm just puting up the background of the fanfic. If it's your first time here, then this is some interesting facts about the fanfic and how I came up with it.

First of all, the fanfic is seperated into three parts, Act One, Two and Three. You'll know the change of Act by the title of the chapter, it'll be different. The first Act could be considered as a prolong, Act Two being the base for the fanfic. Act Three...Just something that I came up with.

Something else about this particular story; not everything is going to be explained exactly to you, some things you just have to presume, while others will be explained in the later chapters. Thing is with this fanfic, you have to be patient.

That's about it... I think... So, um, yea! One more thing, this chapter is not set anywhere in YYH's world. It's somewhere totally different, so just in case you are confused.

* * *

Chapter One: ...And as Luck Would Have It...

Booted steps bounced off the rough stone walls, the occasional sneeze here and cough there clearly audible in the deserted underground maze. The steps continued, turning and twisting through the darkened halls until they stopped short, the air now silent expect for the sound of breathing.

"Hey, can anyone else see the start of those lights over there?"

"I see them too. Are they traps?"

A short lull in the whispering conversation.

"Syra, check if there are any hidden traps with the activation of the lights, will you?"

A glow grew in the blackness, lines of silver laced blue dancing in an intricate pattern before blinking out. The silence grew longer, and then.

"Nope, nothing there. Normal Embedded lights, and still working by the looks of it."

A snort came out of the blindness.

"You better be right about this one. Ever since Veasniel nearly got cut in half the last time I've kept having nightmares about being chopped up by a hidden trap or something like that."

"Well it's not my fault no one bothered to point out the warning label right next to the steps."

The feminine voice retorted, one whose light ring chimed through the words. Someone sighed, the release of the long breath showing that this wasn't the first argument they had to endure.

"I'll go, I'll go. Anything to stop you two bickering."

Footsteps started once again, single hesitant movements that was broken by the random drip of water droplets. Now even the sound of breathing slowed; nothing else but the soft crunch of dirt underfoot.

Light burst into view, twin globes on opposite sides of the stone tunnel flaring into life, as if welcoming visitors that they have not seen in many a years. Stopping short, Veasniel turned round back onto his group, storm gray orbs glaring at two particular members.

"_Now_ can we get going? I have a slight case of claustrophobia, if any of you have forgotten?"

Bouncing into the lightened passageway, a girl marched past him, tresses of soft teal swaying across her pale vision.

"See? I told you nothing was there! And did you believe me? Noooooo!"

And with that Syra stalked off, rouse in her wake more opaque globes of light hanging silently in the air. Two more followed her stead, a scholar looking fellow trying hard to stop laughing at the scene, while a lady of feline like grace supporting his shuddering frame.

"Really Lailos, if you had told us that you had such a severe case of the laughing epidemic we won't have dragged you along on this trip."

Her voice was serious, a strange contrast to the laughing eyes of shining emerald now focused back at the entrance of the tunnel.

"Come on, Zyril. We won't want to have you lost now could we? Especially since you are so concerned about our welfare."

Inky blue eyes narrowed dangerously, and for a moment the gracious man looked as if he was going to leave. But at the last moment Zyril followed, a childish sulk clear on his face.

"You talk. Try having dreams where you are ripped into mince by singing rabbits."

Up ahead, a bark of laughter exploded through the air. "Rabbits? Are you serious?"

Although distorted by the echoes, the light voice sounded extremely female.

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"Wow! Look at this place! If we came few hundred of years earlier, it would have been even greater!"

Wandering round the immense cavern, Lailos succeeded in finding not only some strange artifacts, but also awakening a few good thousands years worth of dust.

"Just look! Even the structure of this room is the infusion of two First Words! Everyone just look!"

The illusionist gestured round the intricately carved room in excitement, and realizing only too late that he was sending waves of blinding dust into the face of their group's healer. Chocking against this onslaught, Veasniel tried in futile attempts to clear away the dust.

"We _would _be able to see, if it wasn't for the fact that you are almost blinding us!"

Shaking her head at the childishness of the two, Syra strolled into the room, silver streaked Words forming and disappearing around her form as the girl put her Seeking powers to work.

"Hey Zyril, there's a weak patch here. Looks like the First Words are fading as we speak."

Hearing her call, Zyril cocked his head.

"Yea, I see what you mean. This place's defensive lines are weakening."

Twin blood ruby lines shimmered for a second in the air.

"The holes here are major! One wrong move and who knows what will happen. Don't touch anything here, people. The boundaries are _way_ thin, and I don't know what that will do..."

---------------------

Roviel nodded at the warning, jaded eyes scanning the large room. Veasniel was there, still trying to clear his windpipe of dust. Syra and Zyril were working together, fixing any major breaks in the room's system. When not arguing, the two makes a great pair. Sighing, slim fingers ran through the copper flecked hair. If only they realize that point. Now where did that idiotic Lailos go? A movement to her right caught her attention, and she strolled over, one hand toying with the blue crystal at her neck.

"Just what is that thing? It looks like a book..."

Grunting at her comment, Lailos flicked through the crisp pages.

"Amazing really, this book. Look!"

The pages flew by, until it landed on one particular page.

"See the pictures? Do they look familiar to you?"

Squinting, Roviel sighed at the colored picture and the two lines of symbols underneath.

"Have you forgotten that I attended nearly no schooling when I was a child? But still..."

The towers _does_ look familiar, the iron workings stark against the white sky.

"Is that... the 21st dimension?"

"Exactly! And look here!"

More pages flickered, the pictures changing from one to another.

"See? Anrax's right here. This one's of Ke'ket. And here's one of the Higher Plain. This book has within it all the worlds around us, ones that we have and have not found!"

His voice rose in excitement, and the glasses started to slip off his nose.

"You know what this means? This one book contains all the Roads ever created! Just look here, it's even got the codes. Now what does this one say?"

The illusionist started mumbling, frowning in concentration as he tried to decrypt the runes below one particular picture.

---------------------

Glancing with uneasiness over at the book and its holder, Veasniel tapped Syra's shoulder.

"If it is like Lailos has said, then shouldn't we stop him from reading aloud like that? Zyril himself said that the defensive barriers won't hold, and he's the defence expert out of all of us."

The pale gold eyes rolled as Syra snorted.

"Lailos might be stupid, but even someone with a brain of a Levantine should know not to infuse unknown codes with their power. Really, I seriously don't thin... OH SHIT!"

The rest happened in a blur. The page rippled, the picture jumped out of the page and into the air, hovering a moment before turning into a man-sized void, a void that's intend upon sucking Lailos into. The words "LAILOS YOU IDIOT!" floated through the air shrill with fear. Zyril was screaming something; crimson flares of Words dancing across his fingertips in desperation. The last thing Roviel remembers as she knocked the illusionist out of the way was the picture of the connecting world, a strange one with tall blocky buildings filling the air...


	3. If I Ever Meet Fate, I'm Gonna Punch

Chapter Two: ...If I Ever Meet Fate, I'm Gonna Punch...

Her head hurts, badly. Even worse than the time she and Zyril got drunk and decided to spend the night half frozen in the sea. At least that time someone fished both out of the waters before any serious damage. But right now, as the pounding grew worse, Roviel began to wonder just what exactly did she drink last night. Her memory was a blur, and she felt sick. Groaning as sunlight touched her closed lids, she turned aside. Well, at least it was all a dream. Hell if she's going to be warped somewhere by the stupidity of Lailos. It was not until minutes later, when the headache was down to bearable levels and she was snuggled into the sheets did Roviel come to the realization that she was not in her own bed.

The sudden dawning of this thought was like a breath of sea wind blowing away a dawn fog. Recollections of the events taken place came in great jumps, the distorted memories grasping its neighbor so that the remembrance of one thought will drag up another. Half groaning, half yelling, the sheet flew from her body as Roviel sprang up, and immediately regretted the idea as a fresh wave of tiny needles and hammers danced over her skull. She must have made quite a commotion, or else she was under surveillance. Either way, the door soon burst open as a tall, bulky, and loud boy skidded into the room. Seeing his figure, a throat deep growl of hatred escaped her lips as she pointed one accusing finger at him.

"YOU!"

He froze at the sudden burst, and immediately broke out in cold sweat at her burning glare.

"Um... Hi. It's... um... nice to see you awake... Um... Bye!"

And in the blink of an eye he was gone, screaming down the hallway for someone to save his skin. Growling at her continually worsening headache and the escape of her prey, Roviel turned, and stopped, and stared.

Gone, the Emerald Griffin of the West. Gone were the curved lips prone to laughter, the slim arching brows, the faint lines of scars adorning her right arm. Gone was the ripple of rusted bronze falling in waves down her back, the copper flecked strands holding within them the true essence of autumn. In its place short strands of midnight blue resided, the black tinted tresses falling before orbs no longer green like the woodlands, but amber, the color of molten gold dipped in delicate caresses of soft fawn. She was more than two hundred years old, but looked like one who had just entered their early twenties. But even that has changed, for now her body and appearance has taken on the form of someone still in their early teens. A mere child, in her eyes. She continued to stare at the mirror, the trembling hands tightening into fists as pure anger overtook astonishment. How dare they? They will pay...

Storming down the immense hall, shattered remains of doors flew through the air as a snarling figure bursts through, tawny gaze sweeping over the room and its shocked occupants before rushing to out again. Door after door was broken away, her breath soon coming in short gasps. Something stung her side, and looking down she was surprised to discover a patch of darkness spreading through the linen. Her mind complete and utterly blank, Roviel continued to stare down at the seeping blood-stain, a strange befuddled calm settling over her Hum, blood... Wonder where it came from...

Rushing footsteps pounded towards her, shattering the moment of peace. Azure strands whipped across the golden vision as they seek out the source of the racket. Four youth came into view, a group of boys nothing more than youngsters running towards her. Seeing their faces, one corner of her mouth lifted in a fanged grin. Excellent, the preys have all come to her. Her wound long forgotten, her lithe form pounced at the group. They reacted, just enough to escape her attack. Landing in a crouch, she twisted, one leg sweeping out in an arc. She hit something, or rather someone, and as that person fell Roviel was pleasantly surprised to see that it was the boy that had barged into her room just moments earlier. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, unheeding the fists already bruised from all the door bashing, she heaved his body into the floor and was rewarded with a nice solid crack as the boy's head snapped against the cement. Raising one fist, sunlit orbs narrowed in happy anticipation for revenge...

"Wait! Don't you want to know why we battled you earlier? Don't you want to know why you are here?"

"I don't think that's a good idea Kurama. Does she even understand Japanese?"

Strangely enough, Roviel could. The words were distorted and twisted, the accent crude, but she could still understand them. How could she forget, spending days learning Syra's home language. The persistent girl kept her at it until Roviel knew the language backwards and upside-down. The right fist still poised dangerously over the boy's head, her eyes turned towards the speakers.

"How do you know Palien? Who are you people and why did you fight me back there?"

Seconds lengthened, and all three children stared her Roviel in dumb silence. Well, two stared. A short one, the one who dodged her first attack the fastest, glared at Roviel for some time before turning away in silence.

"Look lady, I don't know what Palien is; I'm speaking Japanese. And what's with your weird accent? It makes the words sound all soft and rolling."

Examining the speaker over carefully, the intense gaze was quick to note all about him, everything from the greased black hair to the trailing shoelaces.

"Since you are the people who brought me here, I am presuming that you will be giving me a _very_ detailed and satisfactory answer?"

The black haired boy backed away, hands pointing to the person next to him.

"Oh no! I wasn't the one who said that, Kurama is. Isn't that right, Kurama?"

The redhead smiled at this comment, and gave a nod of acceptance.

"Yes, it was indeed me who caught your attention before. Sadly _we _can't tell you anything,"

The grip upon the clothing twisted, and the boy beneath you gave a strangled squeal.

"But we could take you to someone who knows, on the condition..."

One brow rose. Conditions? These whelps talking conditions with _her_? Preposterous. Seeing the disgust upon her face, Kurama quickly finished his speech.

"On the condition that you promise not to try and harm anyone here. Starting with Kuwabara."

"Kuwabara? Who's that?"

An off keyed chocking cry answered the question, causing Roviel to look down at her captive. The boy was chocking, his face turning brighter than that orange mop on his head. She blinked down at him, before a corner of her mouth lifted upwards.

"So _you _are Kuwabara, I take it."

She leaned down, the slow movement deliberate, until their nose almost touched.

"Now then, Kuwabara. Have your mother never taught you that coming uninvited into someone's room is rude?"

Her low voice purred with deadly softness, and Kuwabara's pupils dilated in fear.

Suddenly she was up, ripping her hold away from his shirt. Sucking on a blooded knuckle her eyes traveled across the hallway, stopping briefly only to incase the each boy into her amber gaze.

"Well? I've held my half the deal. Where's the person who I need to see?"

They glanced at each other, as if uncertain of the answer and seeking opinions from the others. Finally someone clear his throat, and took a hesitant step towards her.

"Eh, I'm Yusuke. Kurama and Kuwabara I think you already know. Hiei is the silent one in the group, right over there."

He gestured to the one to your right, the one who glared at you before.

"Anyhow, yea... Like we _can _take you to Koenma, that's the person you need to see. But there is a tinny tiny detail you need to know before going."

Her right eye twitched. Just which world was she in, where all its occupants are mindless idiots who have a tendency to stop in the middle of their sentences!

"And...?"

Perhaps it's her imagination, but Yusuke looked as if he was smiling.

"Well, it's like this..."

The mug steamed before her eyes, the dark liquid inside releasing waves of warm vapor. Eyeing the drink with suspicion, Roviel gave it a tentative sniff. Coffee, Kuwabara had told her. Apparently a drink of some sort here in this dimension. The loud mouthed brat had said that it was harmless and has a good taste, but hell if she was going to believe that imbecile. A loud sigh passed her lips, and Roviel allowed her mind to drift back to the last hour that changed her life.

_A corner of her eye was twitching again. A baby. A mere baby. A tiny toddler whose head just reached above the table. The eye twitched again. Closing her eyes, she lifted her head skywards, as if praying for the mercy of some god to rescue her from this nightmare. No matter how many times Yusuke explained to her that this infant seated before her was the current ruler of Reikai, the insane information could just not be processed through her brain. Lacing his finger together, Koenma looked up at her. _

"_Well then, Roviel is it? Let me just say that it's a great pleasure to have you join us._"

_He coughed into one hand, the gesture as fake as his welcome. _

_"I would love to have a long conversation with you, but as you can see_"

_He waved to the large stack of paper on the table. _

_"I'm short of time. So let's get to the point, shall we? We've had a report of a dimension disturbance in Nigenkai, and so I send Yusuke and his team to investigate. We found you there, and I must say you have some impressive battling skills. There is yet one female except from you that could have knocked Yusuke out cold._"

_Lips twitched. Now there was a compliment. _

_"Anyhow, the reason I had the team bring you back here is because of this._"

_His voice was now serious, devoid of anything else. _

_"You see, the warp that brought you here still exists, but now it's different. Rekai had tracked its movements and it would appear that the warp has changed course. So now we are left with two choices._"

_His dark eyes burned into Roviel, and for a moment she could nearly see him as the ruler of Reikai. _

"_You can go back, risk the portal. But since it has changed destination, no one knows where it's now connected to. Unless you have any idea?_"

_Raven blue locks swayed as Roviel shook her head. _

_"Ok then, this makes it much easier. You see, I'm giving you a second choice. You can stay here, in this dimension, helping Yusuke and his team whenever they find it fit._"

_He stopped, allowing the information to be mused over by her. _

_"Of cause, you can't stay here in Reikai, my father don't like guests. So if you agree, you'll have to live in Nigenkai._"

_Silence adorned the room, the heavy quietness only broken by the sound of a soft growl rising from the depth. Glaring down at Koenma, Roviel felt her right eye start to twitch_...

A movement before her shook Roviel's thoughts back to the present. Glancing up, her hooded gaze met the smiling face of Kurama. Seating down before her, the kitsune grinned as he placed a cup before her.

"After what you did to Koenma's office, I think you need to calm down. And coffee won't help."

Thinking back to the area of destruction she had created out of the toddler's room, Roviel's lips curved upwards. But the happiness didn't stay for long, for one spare glance around the semi-empty room gave a stark reminder that she was not home. Picking up the offered mug, she gave an inquiring eye to the mass of leaves. Ah, good, tea. Finally something that reminds her of home. Seeing the blooded hand, the fox frowned.

"You might want to get that healed. And the wound to your side is also in need to attention."

One tawny orb turned to him.

"I'll live. This is nothing to me."

"It's not that bad, living as a human in Nigenkai. Quite the opposite, I find it to be an interesting experience."

Looking over the rim of the cup, Roviel lifted one brow at his comment. The one good thing about Kuwabara's loud-mouth is the fact that she has learned everything about all the members of the party in the short space of ten minutes.

"For you, perhaps."

The tea was nice, a great thing compared to the rest of this pitiful world.

"You have no idea what I was back in my world, what I had."

Images passed through her mind. Her mansion, an artwork of jade and transparent crystals. Syra and Lailos, giggling together like a couple of children. Veasniel stands there, trying hard to look serious while his lips tugged into a smile. Zyril complaining on the food he has to endure, and the women he's missing out on. The sun sets, its soft rays bathing them all in warmth. Her vision blurred suddenly, and it became difficult to breath. Her eyes closed for a moment, the quivering breath soon steadied. Somewhere in front of her a shifting of cloth rustled. Her lips lifted. Kurama was feeling awkward, interesting. Letting out a long breath, the tawny orbs once again came into light, this time clearer and more focused.

"If I decide to stay here, that would mean living on Nigenkai, with_ humans_!"

The last two words were empathized as two bodies crashed into the room. Scrambling up, Kuwabara and Yusuke continued to their shouting contest with one another, heedless of Kurama's confused stare and Roviel's strangled sigh.

"Like I said; humans."

The soft fragrant of the tea lingered in her throat, along with another sweeter flavor.

"And I hate my demon form. It's so different to who I was before."

The sweetness... Was it honey? Lailos loved his tea with a drop or two of honey.

"And since Words doesn't work in your world, I'll have to learn how to use this energy of yours."

No, not honey, something else, something...

"And then I'll have to help _you_ people. Of all the things. You have no idea who you are commanding around. Humans."

Ah, of cause. Why did it take so long to see them? The twin rose buds floating in the cup, the pink flowers infusing the tea with their essence.

"_And _I'll have to live in Nigenkai. If it's anything like Rekai, the Gods know how I'll survive."

Her speech finished, Kurama grinned happily at Roviel.

"I take it from your complaints that you are staying?"

A long suffering sigh left her, signifying the end of her sanity. Somewhere to her right, the sound of Yusuke cursing floated through the air, followed by the noise of a wall collapsing.


	4. And We are Back Where We Started From

Chapter Three: ...And We are Back Where We Started From...

School, the one word that teenagers dread to hear. And who can blame them, considering that one wastes the better part of their lives stuck in concrete buildings droning over proper grammar or scratching down mathematical problems. A waste of time? Most likely. But not for some, and as Yuki Hatake walked across the school's front gate a smile could be found on the girl's face. Strange, considering that they just finished the Language test yesterday. Or perhaps not so strange, for now she can set her mind on the more pleasurable thing in life. Whatever the reason was, only the heaven knows.

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"Hiya Yuki!"

Turning, Yuki watched as one of her classmate running to catch up.

"Sara, how was the test yesterday? It wasn't _that_ hard."

Panting hard, Sara barked out a laugh at the question.

"You talk, I know I died the moment my pen touched the paper."

Yuki snorted at the girl's pessimistic ways.

"Well at least you are passing in Chemistry. I barely touch the half way mark!"

Heaving their bags and themselves up the stairs, the two continued their discussion over their test scores. Pushing open the door to their home class, Yuki and Sara took their respective seats beside each other and waited for the bell to ring. Turning to Yuki, Sara grinned.

"So, you getting a boyfriend anytime soon? Your in year 11 already, and has still haven't gone on a date _once_! That's just embarrassing."

Rolling her eyes, Yuki gave a long suffering sigh.

"Sara, how many times do I have to say this? No. You know my standards, and they are _way_ too high."

She ticked the list off with her fingers.

"One, they must be good looking. Two, they must be tall. Three, they _should_ have at least _some_ money. Four, its best if they don't have any relatives. And finally five, they must have some manners and know how to treat a lady right. And off cause, they must be single and straight."

Holding up the five fingers, Yuki stared at Sara.

"Now you find me someone who can fit into all five (plus one) categories, and I'll definitely be going out with him."

Opening her mouth, Sara was about to retort when the class bell sang through the air. Students rushed into the room, dumping themselves into seats and waited for their teacher to arrive.

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The door slammed open and rushing into the room, Mr Sato gave his class an embarrassing grin.

"Sorry students, I didn't hear the bell."

Half of the class rolled their eyes, while the other half didn't even bother replying to the comment. It's always like that, every single day. He's always late, for one reason or another. Shuffling his papers together, Mr Sato smiled at his half awake class.

"Now today I have a special announcement. We have a new student in our class. She just arrived in Japan last week and will be staying here for some time. Her name is... um..."

Squinting at the paper, he tried to pronounce the name, but gave up in the end. Handing the paper to Yuki, who was closest to him, Mr Sato grinned at his student.

"Do you mind reading the name for me?"

Some students giggled at this, and Yuki sighed as she looked down at the name.

"Roviel...Windred?"

"Saiku, just call me Saiku."

A bored voice droned out from the door, revealing a tall figure leaning against the frame in apparent boredom. How long has she been there no one knows, for not one person noticed her arrival. Not moving from her spot, Saiku lifted one brow at the teacher.

"Well? Aren't you going to introduce me? Or do I have to wait until the sun sets?"

The question brought a few muffled laughs from the crowd, and Sato blushed slightly.

"Ehm, of cause, of cause. This is Saiku everybody. She's from England, so please excuse the accent. Since she is new here, would everyone try and make her feel welcome? And... What else was I going to say? Ah! Of cause."

Winking at Yuki, Mr Sato clapped his hands together.

"Since Yuki here was able to say your English name, she would be in charge of helping you familiarize with the school. How does that sound?"

"_What!_"

Staring up at her teacher as if he's grown two head and wings, Yuki shook the paper.

"You didn't say any of that to me before. That's not fair."

Out of the corner of her eye, Yuki saw that Roviel, Saiku, whatever her name was, was smirking lightly. Beside her, Sara whispered furiously, saying something about politeness and foreign students.

"...And anyways, its Wednesday already. You only got today, tomorrow and the day after to do this. Better than a whole week, don't you reckon?"

"Fine fine! I'll do it."

Glaring at the still smirking Saiku, Yuki's eyes narrowed in warning.

"But don't except me to mother you. I'm here only until the end of this week; you better make that point clear."

Saiku grinned, one hand twirling with a crystal pendent at her neck.

"Of cause, mother."

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The first class of the day; Chemistry. Why god why. Eyes blank, Yuki continued to stare at the blackboard, one hand automatically copying down what the teacher wrote. Beside her, dark honey eyes half closed in what seemed to be sleep, Saiku lounged in her chair. The teacher gave the girl permission to do nothing for the lesson, seeing that the whole class would be revising over their last and discussing the mistakes they've made. Stealing a glance over at her charge's book, Yuki was mystified at the strange symbols adorning the lined page. They don't seem like any language she has ever seen.

"Hey Saiku. What's that in your book?"

One hooded lid opened, and the light brown orbs danced with hidden laughter.

"That? It's Kimaries."

"... What?"

Saiku sighed, loud enough in the silent classroom for those seated around them to turn and glance.

"If you're not smart enough to know, don't ask."

The sides of her lips lifted as amber orbs absorbed Yuki's astonishment, then anger. She hates here, this pathetic realm of crude residents and even simpler standards of living. Her apartment, no, not an apartment even. A two roomed filth-hole by the road, one who harbors the most distasteful of scents. Not that a change of housing would help with that; everywhere she went the odor of burning oil chocked the air, mixed with the wafts of acidic waste and holding the occasional hint of heated grass. Humans are everywhere on this world, overfilling the place and yet still growing. Don't they know anything? And so rude, snarling at one another over the simplest of accidents. If it wasn't for the fact that she was specifically warned not to harm any humans, Roviel would have gotten over most of her neighborhood in the short one and a half days she's been here. She hated this place, with a fierce passion. Why the team even bothers to protect this place was beyond her understanding. If only her group was here... Syra would be poking at everything, items suddenly breaking or exploding as Lailos examines them. Veasniel would be running around, trying and failing to keep things in order. Zyril would be there, standing in the cleanest area he could find and sniffing in disdain at the whole scene. Musing over these thoughts, slim fingers brushed against a pocket hanging by her side. Well, at least she's got these. Silently Roviel thanked the heavens that when she was thrown into this realm that she still had her possessions intact.

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Lunch was here, and eyeing her sandwich with the same eye she used with the coffee, Roviel proceeded to dissect the layers of white skin from the pink flesh, glancing with bored interest at the veins of white mayonnaise flattened against the pieces of muscle. Her investigation complete, she proceeded to throw the whole thing into a nearby bin. Through all of this, Yuki never uttered a sound, focusing instead on her roll of chicken sushi she had to eat. As the sandwich slammed into the bin with a loud thud, the student sighed.

"Look, why did you throw that away for? It was a perfectly good sandwich, and by the looks of it, nicely made too."

Seconds of silence passed between them, and to her utter surprise, Saiku began to laugh.

---------------------

"School's finished now, so... you going home?"

Mentally, Yuki wished with every fiber of her being that the answer was yes.

"Actually, I was hoping that you could take me around this place, show me the town and its highlights."

The sun drenched eyes glimmered with laughter.

"Of cause, you can go now. After all, you only did this because that teacher told you to."

Her conscious bit into the girl's mind and after a brief but fierce battle of inside, Yuki gave in.

"Fine then! I'll take you around this place. But don't expect anything interesting. And don't try to bug me anymore. Geez!"

Marching off, Yuki was too busy mentally yelling at herself to notice the smile of triumph on Saiku's face.

---------------------

Gulping down a mouthful of cold refreshing iced peach tea, Yuki waited for Saiku to catch up. Something gnawed at the girl's mind. Saiku... She's different. Of cause Yuki realized that her charge was not someone living in Japan would meet everyday, but it wasn't the different culture background that stumped the girl. There was something else. Like how every time she makes a comment on how nice the building was or the delicious taste of some food, Saiku would just smile. Oh it's not a smirk at all, just a polite smile. But the look in her eyes, how there will always be that sense of some amusing secret that only she knew... Footsteps sounded behind her, and Yuki was about to reprimand strange girl on slowness until she realized that the person approaching was not Saiku. In fact, there wasn't one person; there were four, each of the men looking very intimidating and half drunk.

A desperate sweep of the street showed that she was alone, and this caused a sensation of fear in her body. Backing slowly away, she spoke loudly, in hope that someone would hear.

"What do you want? I don't have any money."

Still advancing, one of the brutes laughed at this.

"Now girl, if you don't have to pay with money; there are other ways, you know."

The other three snickered at their friends comment, and one stretched out a hand towards Yuki.

"Now now, no need to be afraid... much. We're not... WTF!"

An audible crack shot through the air, the sound of a skull smashing against hard stone. The remainder three stared in dumb silence as their partner collapsed onto the ground, moaning through a bleeding nose. Sighing up at the starlit sky, the dark figure of Saiku stalked out from the shadows.

"I leave for one minute, and this happens? Is that absolutely no cutesy in this world? It's like I'm living with a pack of prehistoric beasts whose only way of communication is to point and grunt! But then again, what can I expect from humans."

They all stared at her, each trying to process the strange statement that they heard just then. In the end it was Yuki who broke the lull.

"_What the bloody hell are you standing there for? Help me!_"

The shrill scream bounced off the walls, and everyone within the radius of one kilometer would have winced at the scream. Shaking her head, Saiku's right hand lifted to her throat, pulling her necklace over her head.

"Koenma gave strict rules about not hurting humans."

The necklace brightened, emerald mist covering the crystal pendent and the delicate golden chain. The fog grew larger, blowing out sideways from her palm. Then it was gone, and in its place a double ended glaive shone with an icy hue. The amber eyes narrowed, and her fanged grin grew wider.

"But that brat never said anything about self-defense."

---------------------

As the last body hit the ground, unconscious and bleeding, but definitely alive, Yuki's jaws worked soundlessly in some sort of sentence. Slowly, her trembling gaze turned to Saiku, who was now cleaning her weapon of blood. Feeling that she was being watched, Roviel turned to her audience.

"It was lucky that these filths came when they did. I was seeing blood already, having to live in this pitiful world and can't do a thing about it."

Somewhere in her numb mind, Yuki noticed the change in Saiku. Perhaps it was the moonlight, but she looked sharper, more real and lighter in a way. Both her hair and eyes were lighter and brighter now, the waves of blue flame shining under the moonlight as her golden gaze blinked in the darkness. Somehow that tiny piece of her brain knew that this was the real Saiku, and the person she knew before was only a mask, something put over her to hide her true identity. Finally her voice was back, restored, if not whole. Gasping down at the twitching bodies at her feet, Yuki Hatake, 17, year 11 student, closed her eyes, took one deep breath in and screamed.

_"JUST WHO THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?!_"


	5. Tis A Sad Fact of Life

To Sapphire Angel, Ookami Aya: I know, I hate it too. It's a long story, but in short we've beenstudying "postmodernise" at school the whole of this year. The teacher asked us that if we were to do anything, do it differently. Somehow she knew I write, and started to snub me to write "differently". But hey, holiday's here, so I can stop doing that now!

Omasuoniwabanishi _is that spelled right?_ : _Sigh _That's what _I'm_ hoping as well. But we'll see... Glad you like Roviel, she's one of my favourite charries I've ever created.

Princess Kandra: Thank you! _Does theater bow, then hits hand to head. _Owww!

Darkspirals: I know, the shame... _hangs head_ I feel like such an idiot... But happy that you like it. Updated now, this one's a bit slow, but the next chapter ought to be faster... I think. I'm not really sure what's going to happen in the next chapter, except for the fact that Roviel's going to tell about her personal history and they are going to try and teach her how to use Youki...

* * *

Chapter Four: ...'Tis A Sad Fact of Life...

Sun poured into the room, the filtered rays of life sweeping across the air, bring the dance of dust motes in the air to life, finding and creating the silent music of the day. She gazed at the dust motes now, the dark eyes looking but not seeing. Or maybe she did, but her numb mind refused to register the acceptance. The scratching of lead against paper whispered in her ear, a background voice to the voices she is hearing once again...

---------------------

"_Look, drink that. I personally distrust this coffee business, but you look as if you are going to need something warm in you. Gods, how I hate the body I have in your world. Under aged, they call me? Do they realize that I'm over two centuries old? If it wasn't for that you won't be holding coffee right now, but something much stronger._"

_The drink smelt nice, the scent of sugar floated from the cup. A hint of cream, Saiku put milk? Taking a tentative sip from the mug, she coughed at the sudden onslaught of bitterness, eyes watering as her throat tried to chock out the disgusting taste. It might not have the effect Saiku was hoping for, but it did the trick. Gulping down air, Yuki's eyes lost that glazed look, something that's been there for over an hour._

_With the sound of coughing filling the air, Roviel turned, flipping a small round container into the air before tossing to her._

"_Finally, some signs of life. If it had come any later, I would have been using this on you._"

_Catching the small brown bottle, she twisted open the lid. A mixture of dried plants and salt like powdering greeted her curiosity, and an acidic scent rose from the opening._

"_Yet another of my prized possessions. Don't sniff it; your body won't be able to take it. Just blow the smell over someone, and I can guarantee that they will wake. It can even wake the dead, if only for a little while. Very potent; two small whiffs and your brain would go into a temporary blank. A mix of two Embedded Words, one of Gate's Opening and another of Daybreak. Useful, especially if someone's paralyzed._"

---------------------

"Yuki Hatake, do you hear me?"

The loud harsh voice blared before her, revealing a very harassed and red faced teacher in the sound's wake. To her right, Sara looked at her friend with a mixture of curiosity and worry. Although not the brightest student in the school, Yuki never less holds a good impression over her teachers with the reputation of being a quite and diligent student. But ever since yesterday...

"Look Yuki, I know it's the last class of Friday, and you can't wait to get home. But that doesn't mean that I give you the permission to daydream in my class. Look at the bad example you are setting to Saiku. I'm just glad that she isn't catching your bad habit."

The teacher turned with a disgruntled huff, glaring at a few nearby students who have decided to watch the show. They turned back to the books quickly enough, for the lady left, marching back to her high desk and continued marking homework. Lifting up her pen, Yuki took a sideway peek at the girl sitting to her left. She was back to her normal looking self, the dim veil muffling her appearance once again. The fawn colored eyes looked down; a frown of concentration adorned her face as Saiku seemly poured over the book. But Yuki saw, how the lips curved up ever so slightly, how a ghost of amusement lazed in those eyes.

---------------------

"_Just who the bloody hell are you? Where did that weapon thingy come from, why did your looks change back there?_"

_The glaive was back to its original form now, the thing gold chain pooling around a small shard of blue crystal. Toying with the jewelry, Saiku gave a purring laugh._

"_Who am I? That's what I would like to know. I don't know what happened, or why I'm here. One moment I'm in my own world, minding my own business. The next second I was literally dropped from the heavens, landing myself not only in this sad place, but also a very rude welcoming party. The youngsters haven't told me much, but form what I've heard it would appear that I'm somehow a _demon_ in this world_..._ How that's different to humans I do not know, and frankly, I _don't _want to know._"

_Her mind rushed to sort this startling new information. Demons? Other world? What the?_

"_Youngsters? Who are they? Are they what, demons too?_"

_A bark of laugh sounded, and Saiku shook her head as she chuckled to herself._

"_What? You make it sound as if they are a pack of three meter tall, scale covered, blood thirsty monsters. That's too good for them. Nay, the four boys can't look more human than you or anyone else out on the streets._"

_She absorbed these new facts, much like a overly used sponge absorbing water; the first go not much gets sucked in, but after squeezing the sponge dry and trying again, one would find that after several goes the water is nearly all absorbed. Thus she sat there, in the small apartment next to the road, the cup of cold coffee placed, untouched, on the table before her. Her hands wandered, tugging at creases in her skirt then smoothing over the fabric with her palms. Somewhere out there, a police siren rose from the darkness, the whirling cries floating across the night._

"_So_..._ What do I call you now? I mean Saiku probably isn't your real name, right? Is it that one_..._? Re_..."

"_If you can say it properly, then my name's Roviel. But let me warn you, if you can't pronounce it, then don't bother. It's Row-vee-el. Remember that, I hate repeating myself._"

---------------------

The sun's nearly set; ruby wings flew across the maple sky, the sun leaving behind a final glorious display of majestic beauty and power before releasing it's reign to the gently protection of the moon. Her bag was heavy, in it stuffed full of necessaries for the weekend away from home. Anyone looking on would have presumed that the student was going on a weeklong camp, considering the mass of the traveling bag. But she was a female, and so has thought of every possible side and poked into any half forgotten details. Panting slightly, Yuki continued to drag her bundle of possessions along, one tired eye keeping the shadow filled form of Sai... No, Roviel. She hopes that they will be there soon, or at least that by some miracle her bag becomes lighter, or that it grows wings and can fly. Looking around their surroundings, the girl eyed the empty warehouses with distrust.

---------------------

"_So, what do I do with you? Do I let you go, and than risking the whole of this placing hunting me down? Or shall I... make sure that you won't be able to tell another living soul this incident?_"

_The hooded eyes blinked slowly, golden slits peering out from behind the sleepy gaze. Licking her lips, now dry with sudden fear, Yuki raised both hands in protest._

"_But_..._ But I thought you said that you can't kill people. I heard you back there._"

"_Who said anything about killing? The bottle I showed you earlier? Enough of it and one's mind could become a blank sheet, permanently. So what will it be, hum? It's your choice._"

The mind works in strange ways, and as Yuki heaved after Roviel's fast, bag-less form, she wondered just what made her say the words that had just changed her life, and not for the better.

"_Neither. I'm not going to either die or become a simple brained idiot_..._ I'm_..._ I'm going with you, to meet the people you spoke of. I'm going to meet them and ask why can't I keep my memories _and _live._"

---------------------

Suddenly Roviel halted, one hand rising to shade her eyes against the sun as she looked upwards at the sky.

"Koenma said that someone was going to pick us up... Ah, there it is."

A black shape formed, the faceless mass hurdling towards them at startling speed. As a shape began to emerge, Yuki tossed any thought of a bird or small plain out of her mind. There, hovering one meters off the ground, dressed in a pink kimono, a blue haired girl sat upon her oar and waved furiously at Yuki.

"Hi! I'm Botan, your Grim Reaper. Koenma asked me to pick Roviel up, but I didn't know she was bringing a friend. And a bag as well? Oh my, that's going to be hard. But that's all right; I'll just have to be extra careful then! Well, what are you waiting for, get up here!"

She handed her bag over, tying it to the end of the oar. Botan's ceaseless chirping growled in her ears, filling her senses with the bright voice. The Grim Reaper? Did she just hear that clearly? And how can an oar float in air. As a matter of fact, where did this Botan and her oar fly from?

"Well, come on! We don't have all day. Koenma-sama is in a real hurry, and I have two more souls to collect. So? Jump on!"

A cough sounded, and turning, Yuki was surprised to see that Roviel was leaning against a wall, looking as if she had absolutely no intention of climbing onto the oar.

"Is there any portals to Rekai near here?"

Botan frowned, confusion marring her smooth skin.

"Well, yes. As a matter of fact, there is one two blocks south of here. It's in a deserted garage. But why are you asking?"

Stone scratched against cloth, a sound of booted feet crunching against gravel and dirt rolled through the air. Strolling away, Roviel lifted her voice.

"I have an excellent idea, Botan. Why don't you take Yuki here with you instead? She's never been to Rekai, and I think flying with you would be a great way to show her around. You could point thing out, since you have been living there for so long. I'm taking the portal, so you guys could have some private chatting time together."

Perhaps it's her imagination, but Yuki could almost swear that there was a hint of a triumph smirk lingering in those words...

Both hands gripping the oar with steel like fingers, Yuki watched as they rose above the buildings.

"...and help dead spirits to go to Rekai, you know. It's such a tiring job, and even worse when you don't get even a single thanks at the end of the day. Just like that Yusuke. Someone ought to teach him some good manners. Could you imagine, that the first time he died, that I went to greet him and he was being so rude to me? Even _after_ being a Rekai Tantei he's still the same. I don't know how Keiko puts up with him. But that's beside the point. So your name is Yuki? How do you like it, living on Nigenkai? Do you know Yusuke or any of the gang? How do you..."

And so, as they sped away from the ground, Yuki realized that not only was she losing her normal life, but also her sanity...


	6. Pass the Popcorn, Thanks

Riz:

Um... Nothing? Can't think of anything to put up here. Thanks if you reviewed!

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Chapter Five: ...Pass the Popcorn, Thanks...

Pacing along the whitewashed walls, a soft restless growling slithered through the air. Meeting a wall, the steps paused for a moment, turning back upon itself before the rhythmic sound began again. One hand stroked the golden chain around her neck while the other made useless gestures in the air. How she missed them, the power and beauty of Words. Two fingers lifted; the forefinger and middle finger tracing a double sign of Isa through the empty air. Nothing came, no shimmer of emerald mist, no flare as the Words disappear. Looking into the emptiness, her eye twitched. Whatever Youki was, it better be good...

Sitting upon the sofa, Yuki blushed slightly as Kurama handed her a cup of hot tea. Like so many other girls, Yuki has been completely swept away by the kitsune's kind and gentle personality, not to mention his looks. She couldn't help but wonder why Roviel was so... sarcastic towards them. The fact that Roviel was beaten unconscious by Yusuke and them had covenantly slipped out of her mind, allowing the girl to focus her attention upon the red-head.

"We should be going soon. I'm afraid my kasan was most persistent to know where I was going at this time of night. Fortunately Yusuke arrived just in time and we managed to leave with a white lie. Yusuke had informed my kasan that we were going over to a friend's house to help her with some things..."

The emerald eyes closed, and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

"Indeed it is luck that my kasan did not know what kind of marks Yusuke has. Otherwise the night would have ended most painfully."

Yuki nodded in agreement, her eyes lingering over the boy's features. And he smelled nice, like roses. She loved roses...

"Hey, you two, Kurama and...um... YOU TWO! Get moving already. We are already late. I don't know about Roviel, but Hiei generally don't like waiting for humans."

Yusuke's voice, bellowed from five doors down, was still able to make Kurama wince.

"Hey Urameshi! Are you sounding scared?"

Yet another voice joined the fray, this one stronger and deeper.

"Don't worry, for I, the Great Kazuma Kuwabara, will mash that three-eyed shorty into powder!"

Yuki glared down the hallway, hating those two for disturbing her session with Kurama. _Then again, perhaps Roviel's attitude towards them isn't for nothing after all_...

If nothing else, she have to hand it to the architect who constructed the Reikai castle they were in now. The place was immense; gigantic golden columns supporting a red ceiling that's lost in the shadows of height. The room she was in now, it was something special. Being bored, she had proceeded to scratch the paint from the wall, (Woo, graffiti!) but with no avail. Puzzled, Roviel then tried to mark the stone floor with her glaive. Even the opaque crescent blades could not cut a dent into the material. She was in the middle of examining the posts that lined the four walls when the door opened. They filed in, one by one; each apparently dressed for the occasion.

Yusuke was first, grinning his usual lop-sided smile. The sleeveless shirt and the cloth shoes suited him, if not his hair. Spotting Roviel, the Reikai Tentai gave her smile of acknowledgement before starting to search the large room for something.

"Hey Kurama, are you sure Hiei is here? I don't see the little twirp."

"Oh he's here alright; I sense his energy somewhere in the room."

Barging in, Kuwabara looked stood still, eyes narrowed as if concentrating on something. If she could read Kanji, Roviel would have smirked at the phrase at the back of the orange-haired boy's white coat, which wrote; "Health comes first."(Or at least that what it means in Chinese...) Still squinting into the shadows, Kuwabara suddenly gave a loud yelp of triumph.

"I know where you are, you shorty. I can sense your Youki. Now come out and face me like a man, or are you afraid?"

Squinting up at the jigsaw of crossing beams which supports the ceiling, it took Roviel some time before the tawny gaze found the small black shadow up above. How Kuwabara had managed to find Hiei she had no idea, but she will figure it out soon...

"This is Reikai? And I thought Heaven looked a lot nicer."

Turning at the feminine voice, her mouth twitched upwards as Roviel watched Kurama come in, followed _very_ closely by Yuki. Well well, the kitsune certainly was an eyeful. Dressed in yellow white, the flowing qi pao certainly suited him. No wonder Yuki's become Kurama's shadow...

"Ok, everyone here? Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

Rubbing his hands in anticipation, Yusuke turned to Roviel.

"Since you are going to help us whenever we want, I figured that it'll be good if the team have a look at your power and stuff. And we need to figure out what your Youki is."

He pointed at Kuwabara.

"First let's see your defensive skills. Kuwabara attacks, you block. That sounds good? Ok Kuwabara, time to show us how much you've improved."

An eye twitched.

"I can't."

Kuwabara stopped in the middle of walking. Yusuke frowned.

"Why? Because if you are afraid of killing Kuwabara, then don't worry. He's my personal punching bag, and considering how many times he's lost in battles and is still alive, I'd say that he won't die that easily."

Why Gods why does she have to be dumped in this world, of all the world?

"... It's not that... I can't defend."

Silence followed the startling statement. Even Hiei decided to drop from the ceiling and join his group, the blood ruby eyes glittering at her.

"What do you mean..."

"Listen, for I'm only going to say this once; I can't defend. Defense is not my thing. Attacking, yes. Sniping, only if my patience holds, and that's not many times. But not defending!"

Ok, she had overestimated these humans. Five little sentences and they are already lost. Glaring at their perplexed faces, Roviel is seriously tempted to knock one of their heads and see if it's devoid of a brain.

"Wait! What are you saying? That you can't defend against attacks? That's not right. Everybody can defend."

Yusuke was lost, very lost, and it looks as he wasn't the only one...

Then Kurama stepped forward, the red head standing between Yusuke and Roviel.

"Perhaps it is best if Roviel could kindly explain this paradox? I'm sure that she can relieve us of this puzzling fact."

Letting a long suffering sigh, one amber eye burned towards the group.

"If that's what you want. But I'm warning you; it's a long story."

"You all know that I was thrown into this world by some portal. Here I'm some demon, but back in my world I was someone completely different.

There are the five of us, in my group. Syra, Lailos, Zyril, Veasniel and I. How we met is an even longer story, one that I'm not in the mood for telling. All you need to know is that back there, the five of us are famous.

Coincidence? Perhaps. But I was never the one to believe in chances, only Fate. The five of us, we became fast friends, and traveled all over my world looking for hidden treasures and lost ruins. It was not until much later until the strangeness of it all came out. I'm not sure who started it, but soon each of us was given a very interesting title.

There are thirteen First Words in my world, this Words binding all in an endless cycle. Six belong to the Heavens; six embraced the Earth, while the remaining one watched over the passage between Death and Resurrection. For each of the six First Words of Earth, six more emerged, each different to it's sibling with the element it takes on. Land, Water, Fire, Air, Thunder and Metal, these were the six elements of Earth. As for Heaven, it's the same thing, except with six different elements. Sense, Power, Memory, Truth, Space and Time, thus the six elements of Heavens. Everyone who is born in my world is aligned to a specific element of a specific First Word of either Heavens or Earth, and thus has that First Word and its element's powers. Based on which Word, regardless of the element, a person's under, their powers will come out different.

It works like this. My name is Roviel, but the title people gave me was Emerald Griffin of the West. Emerald means two things; my element as in Land, and the color of my power, which is green. The animal after the color symbolizes a trait in each of us which we are most well known for. Mine is Griffin, a beast of fierce loyalty, but only to those who can it deems worthy. West means the direction of my birthplace, left on the map.

Syra was known as Sapphire Phoenix of the South; Water aligned and always able to find herself out of any situation. Zyril became the Ruby Dragon of the North; nice enough until someone gets him mad, then that person will be turned to ash in a blink of an eye. Veasniel was our Silver Leviathan of the North. How he hated that title, we used to tease him about him being "silver" colored. All his fault, being born under Air. Well at least his trait was a good one, being someone who one could always count on, no matter what situation. Lailos, he was the only one, out of all of us. Many saw him as the Shadow Kirin of Oust. He was aligned to Sense, an element of the Heavens, and since all his works come out with a darkened appearance, well... Being the smartest out all of us, he became the Kirin, a creature know for its knowledge and wisdom. Oust? Yea well Lailos couldn't _really _remember where he was born; we only assumed they gave him the title since the rest of us first met him near the center of our world.

The powers of Heavens and Earth are different, both with its assets and flaws. Veasniel was the healer of our group, a rank the rest of us are slightly fearful of, especially after making him mad. Syra's power, Seek, lies in her ability to seek out any hidden Word traps, as well as unravel any Words we get ourselves caught in. Zyril is the defense tactician of our group, everything from warding against attacks to mending holes in loose walls. Me? I specialize in attacking; usually I'm the one at the front, trying to sense and rid of any enemies in our way. Lailos, being aligned Heaven's element Sense, is the master of illusions. He's usually hiding somewhere, watching afar, while conjuring up some fancy tricks to keep us all alive.

We didn't realize it at first, how each of us fitted together like perfect pieces of jigsaw. It was scary, actually, our group being so... North, East, South, West and Oust. Air, Fire, Land, Water and Sense. Attack, Defense, Healing, Seek and Illusion. Heavens and Earth. Strange indeed... RIGHT!"

The sudden change in volume made some of the boys jump. Scrambling onto his legs, Kuwabara nodded his head in furious agreement.

"Ok, I get it now. Really easy to understand actually. Can't see what's so hard about it."

This time it wasn't only Roviel's eye the twitched.

"Oh so the food bag can think. And I thought he couldn't even talk."

Hiei's sullen voice drawled on, and although his head was turned away, it was obvious that the fire apparition had a smirk on his face. Kuwabara's body swelled at the insult. It was quite fun to watch, really; the way how the boy's face turns read red, then purple. Seeing this, the pacifist fox stepped in, a nervous smile on his face.

"Please, do and try to remember why we are here."

Scratching at his hair, Yusuke huffed.

"Yea, I suppose we should get started..."

Dodge, block, twist and follow. The glaive danced in her hands, golden lined pole twirling in the air. Cut, twist, block. _Block!_ She barely managed to block, the blue crystal handle hitting Kuwabara's Spirit Sword. Damn this Youki, using it takes her concentration off fighting. And she has yet to actually feel her Youki.

Concentrate, they had said. Concentrate and look for some energy inside you. Bah, idiots, group of them. If they ever go into her world, let's see just how long it takes for the whelps to learn Word attacks. As Kuwabara leapt for an attack once again, Roviel gave up. Ducking under, one elbow slammed up into the boy' stomach. Her fist followed; a backhand up into his chin, snapping the head back. Standing up in fury, she planted her glaive into the ground, this time actually making a indent on the ground.

"I do not have the patience or the time to waste on this futile exercise. If you children do not figure out a way for me to find my Youki in the next five minutes, then hell would literally break loose right here in this room."

Either her threat worked or they really wanted to help her. Either way, the group actually started discussing various ideas, each putting some bits and pieces in.

"... But I found my Reiki because I died once. Kuwabara, how did you figu... Born with it, so I'm afraid I can't be... Naturally, like it's a part of you, how do you expl... .So bothersome, this better not be a waste... Um, it is possible for any of you to find the Youki thing in Roviel, _then _drag it out and show her?"

_My my, so it wasn't a waste bring her over here_..._ Wonder what Koenma said to the girl. Doesn't look as if she's going to lose her memory any time soon_...

A sheepish look came over Yusuke's face, and Kuwabara blushed at the simple idea. Kurama had a hard enough time keeping a straight face, not to mention the fact that for once, Hiei was actually accepting the idea.

"... Or we could do that..."

Clasping his right over her's Yusuke turned back in anger at the rest of his group, who was far far away.

"Explain to me again why _I'm _the one doing this?"

Kurama's voice, always soft and sensible came to them.

"Well, if Roviel does becomes angered, we have decided that you are the only one who has a chance standing up to her."

Grumbling something inaudible, Yusuke glared at Roviel.

"Look, I don't like you and you don't like me. Fine. But this is for your own good."

A blue aura surrounded their clasped hands, and she felt something seeping into her being. Seconds later it retreated, but leaving in its wake something else, something alien and yet strangely familiar. Taking away his hand, a look of satisfaction played across the Rekai Tentai's face.

"And Yusuke Urameshi does it again! A perfect score!"

Roviel held up that hand, the hand that Yusuke held. Frowning slightly in concentration, she was rewarded by a deep forest green cloud mist growing in her palm. Well, it might be Youki, and it _is _rather raw and crude, but at least it's green...


	7. When All Else Fails, Follow the Singing ...

OMG! My first Flame ever! I'm so excited! I know, weird. How can a flame be a good thing? Na, I'm just hyperactive because this is the first, REAL flame I've ever gotten, one without anything good in it.

Princes Kandra: Yep, you were in Chapter Four, and now I'm metioning you again! Once again, really happy that you liked it, and hoping that you'll keep reading the story.

Blah-Blahness: Love the nickname, sounds like me during school. You enjoyed it? That's brilliant!

Mary Tyson: Lol! Ah grammer, how I hate thee. Let me give you a qoute a friend of mine once told me. "When the whole world turns its back upon you, you'll be sure that typos willstill be by your side." Really, one of my other fanfic I had to update _four_ times, each time finishing and thinking that I've found all the mistakes, only to discover the next day that there was still that one tiny mistake that somehow eluded my scrutinizing.

What's a One-Shot? It's exactly what it sounds like, a fanfic that's done in one shot. A chapterless short story that might have been planned, or im my cases, just jump out from the air and demanded to be written if one wishes to retain their sanity. And nope, no insults in your review what-so-ever. Do don't worry!

Ok, I knew someone was going to point it out sooner or later. There is a story behind all this, why my fanfic seem so... fragmented.

Yami no Riz:

Once upon a time, on a stormy night, my Hikari had a dream. It was a strange dream, one of YYH, which was strange, considering she was watching Naruto that night. The dream hazy, the details lost in time, but my Hikari managed to retain _most _of the dream. Three days later, when she was once again watching Naruto (See the pattern yet?), my strange Hikari once again had a dream of YYH, this one a sequal of the first one. Now really curious, and really bored, she began to piece the two dreams together, filling in the blank bits and pinning gaps together. Thus the fanfic was born, rather stiched and bumpy, but passable for a fanfiction...

Riz:

Yep, that's the full story of my fanfiction! Sounds weird? Your not alone, I'm scared too!

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Chapter Six: ...When All Else Fails, Follow the Singing Flowers ...

Picking her way across the fallen rubble, Roviel coughed at the stench filled air. And just when she thought that there couldn't be a place worse than Nigenkai... Well, this just proves the fact that one _does _learn new thing everyday. Behind her, Kurama's soft steps were barely audible amidst the continuous growl of the thunder laced sky. In front of her, heavy grunting could be heard, accompanied with the occasional cursing as a tedious block of marble crashes close by. Padding along, she followed Kuwabara's path, which was easy considering the trail of needless destruction the boy left behind. Placing a careful foot over some indistinguishable black liquid, Roviel wondered just how exactly she allowed herself into this...

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_An eye twitched as Kuwabara and Yusuke's loud brawling thundered the room. Sitting opposite her, Yuki rolled her eyes in despair._

"_Anyways, Koenma-sama said that I could stay _and _keep my memory, but if only I don't tell anyone else about this place. _And_ he gave me this!"_

_The excited girl lifted up a pin, a small thing that could be attached onto a collar of some school uniform. It was simple, a tiny ruby embedded in a round bed of gold._

"_You see? This allows me to come to Reikai anytime I want! Isn't that great?! I have to show Kurama this_..._ Where is he?"_

_Looking around the room Roviel failed to see any signs of the kitsune. Yusuke was there, with that foolish grin on his face. Kuwabara had left his argument with Yusuke, and was now yelling at Hiei for getting too close to his Yukina. Her lips twitched_..._ Now Hiei's angry, and beating the living daylights out of Kuwabara. Yusuke's laughing at the two, how rude_..._ Now Yukina's stepped in, begging Hiei to stop this. Snorting in defeat, Hiei suddenly left the room, gone in the blink of an eye. Kuwabara can't be hurt that badly, for now he has his hands clasped around Yikina's and proclaiming his undying devotion to the girl. Roviel bit down on her fast spreading grin. Suddenly Yuki sprang up, half running to the door in excitement. Ah, the red-head had arrived, smiling as always, and_..._ Half chocked sounds burst out from her throat, a result of her desperate attempt to prevent laughing out. He's wearing pink; the fox was wearing pink_..._ Unbelievable_..._ Laughter burst from her, and Roviel fought to breath. Everybody was staring at her now, and Kuwabara wondered aloud if she's gone mad._

_The past four days have finally caught up with her, the sudden rush of true realization finally dawning upon Roviel's mind. Oh she knew before, listened to all the conversations, and learned about this new world. But it never really sank in, rather floated around her mind like a transparent layer of grease on water. Only now, her head sank into her hands and her body shook with soundless mirth, Roviel truly realized just what her life has turned into_...

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"Hey look! There's a garden here! And there are trees!"

Climbing over the last fallen block, Roviel scanned this strange scene. A garden stood there, or at least the remains of one. Signs of cultivation was scattered around the place, the symmetrical structures some of the plants were in, the faint hint of pruning on several trees. But with the fall of the tower, order collapsed with it. Now the place looks every bit as wild as the rest of Makai. Wandering aimlessly around, a trailing vine adorned with soft iliac flowers caught Kuwabara's attention. Sniffing at the sweet scent it gave out, the boy raised one finger towards the gentle petals.

"I would advice strongly against that action, Kuwabara."

Roviel startled at the sudden arrival of the kitsune. She didn't even hear him climbing up the rock. Jumping lightly down onto the soft grass, Kurama continued his lecture.

"That is a deadly plant. It's a parasitic organism, one that uses its scent to attract unwary prey. The petals contain thousands of minute spores, which will sink into any form of living organism that touches it. The spores would burrow into the flesh of its victims, growing and germinating within the body. In the end, the shoots will push out from its host's body, resulting in a very unpleasant death for its prey."

Hearing this, Kuwabara gave a yelp and jumped several feet backwards, tripping on a rock and falling flat onto his back. Scrambling up, the orange haired whelp proceeded to hack the offending plant into tiny particles with his Spirit Sword. Kicking at the tattered remains, Kuwabara eyed the kitsune with confusion.

"How can you be so calm while knowing all of this stuff? Don't they make your skin crawl? Certainly made mine."

Kurama just chuckled lightly at the comment, had shrugged his shoulders.

Still breathing hard from his earlier scare, Kuwabara glanced around at the crawling place.

"Didn't Koemna say that the artifact thing, what's it name? The thing that we are looking for should be somewhere in the center of this castle?"

A grin curved up on Roviel's lips. Finally, something that she knows...

"I'm not sure about Makai, but back home an indoor garden would either be at the front or back of the house. That or it's right in the center. And from the looks of some of the collapsed rooms we passed earlier, I'd say that we are right in the middle of the ruins. And if Koenma said that the Key of Ages is supposed to be in a hidden chamber in the center of this place, then..."

"Then that means..."

Tawny orbs met emerald, and a silent agreement passed between the two. A smile came over both of their faces, and Kurama chuckled lightly. Looking from one to the other, Kuwabara waved a hand before Roviel's face.

"Hello? If you haven't noticed, I exist too! What, what does that mean then? Finish the sentence. What do you two know that I don't?"

And to Kuwabara's utter amazement, Roviel stretched, pushed up the sleeves of her fawned colored trench coat and cracked her knuckles.

"Right, let's start digging then!"

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"_Makai? Isn't that where youkais lived?_"

_Roviel frowned. Reikai was bad, Nigenkai was horrid. So how is Makai going to be like? Eyeing Koenma with an unpleasant look, one which the toddler decided to ignore. Sighing loudly, one hand absently brushed strands of raven black from her vision._

"_So, you want me to go with Kuwabara and Kurama to some sad half wrecked castle in Makai to get a golden key for you? Don't you already have enough keys?_"

_Koenma actually stopped stamping the papers, only to rub his temple with stubby fingers._

"_It's not just a key; it's_ the _key. It was made long ago, when my _father _was the prince of Reikai. You see, the key was made by a youkai whose wife was turned to stone. He labored for countless years, trying to create something that would allow his wife's form to escape from her curse. And he succeeded, making a key that could unlock all binding curses and spells ever created. But sadly, before he could reach his wife, the youkai was killed. You see, he owed much money to many people, none of them nice, to say the least Waiting too long for their money, these youkais came for their revenge. Searching his body, they found the Key, but did not know of its power, keeping it only for its beauty. Through the years, the Key traveled through all the levels of Makai, changing owners frequently. In the end, it fell into the care of Ryuku. _

_The last of a lost race of powerful youkais, Ryuku immediately felt the power of Key, but like so many before him, did not know what it was used for. He locked it away somewhere, in a hidden chamber in his castle fully, intending to unlock the Key's secrets. But one day Ryuku mysteriously disappeared. Nobody knows where or how, he just went missing._

_In the last few days, I've been given disturbing reports that a group of youkais are searching for the Key of Ages, preparing to use it to release their lord, someone who was sealed up by my father in his war against Makai. And that's why I want you three to go and fetch the Key back for me. If those youkais gets their hands on it, who knows how bad things will turn out._"

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The twin crescent blades sank into the rocky soil. Slinging the earth out of the ever growing hole, Roviel halted for a moment, resting against her glaive as seeking eyes roved aimlessly. Ten meters to her right, chaos ruled supreme. Kuwabara, being Kuwabara, has long tossed away the notion of using a tool. Now showers of pebbles, plants, sand and soil were flying through the air as the human went at it with his bare hands. Eyeing the boy's backside with distaste, Roviel had to admit that his method was effective; dirty, but effective. She could be digging faster than him, purely by using her new found ki attacks. But that would be a waste of ki, and who knows what they'll encounter next?

Some distance away, behind Kuwabara, Kurama was also in full swing. The kitsune had somehow grown some ivy like plant, one who was, even now tunneling their seeking vines deeper into the soil, breaking and destroying in its path. She glared at Kurama now, the damned fox. Standing there, smiling his usual smile, doing nothing but watch as his plant progressed... Damn fox...

A loud thud broke the quietness, and she watched, amusement playing over her features as Kuwabara dragged himself out of the hole and onto the green grass. Rolling onto his back, the boy panted up at the rolling sky, tongue lolling out in exhaustion.

"That's...it... I... finished with...this bus...iness..."

Kurama and Roviel looked down at their fallen comrade, one trying to keep a straight face while the other simple sighed. Turning away from his own hole, Kurama walked over to the bag they've brought from Reikai.

"Well, I suppose a short break would not hurt us much. If the youkais arrive here later, we could always let them do the work for us."

Looking through the bag, the red head stood up, a large water container and three plastic cups in his hands.

"Tea, anyone?"

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Picking away at the bread roll, Roviel continued her survey of the garden grounds. It was a large place, full of roots and rocks. Just how does Koenma expect them to find the bloody Key? Two fingers tore at the soft bread, pecking away at the food. Stupid Hiei, stupid Yusuke. Why did they get to go on that other mission, the bomb threat one? Stupid...

"You know, it would be a lot easier if there was some kind of mark telling us where to dig?"

Kurama grinned.

"Kuwabara, the whole concept of a hidden chamber is so that the room would be hidden. If Ryuku _did _make a mark of any sort, it must be concealed so that only a selected few could find it."

The conversation died down to a silence, each person musing over their own thoughts about the mission...

"I was just saying. Jeez, don't take it so seriously. It's that, this whole thing would be a lot easier if there was a clue of some sort. Like the whole how X marks the spot thing?"

Perhaps she _is _going insane, but Roviel was actually getting used to the dolt's meaningless comments. But still, some were just too stupid to ignore.

"And just how do you plan on finding this X? Unless the flowers can sing out the directions in paradox riddles, I really doubt it's going to work."

"Of cause! How could I have not seen that! The symmetrical order of the garden!"

That random outburst caught the arguing pair's attention. Kuwabara was frowning in puzzlement again, while Roviel simply lifted on brow in Kurama's direction.

"... Are you actually saying that the flowers are going to show us the way?"

"Why yes! That is exactly what I mean. I'm afraid that we do not have the luxury of spare time on our hands, so I will explain later. But for now... Kuwabara, would you mind climbing up onto that rock there? The tallest one? We would truly appreciate."

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Even from this distance, her brown hinted eyes can see Kuwabara's legs shaking. She grinned. Who would have thought that the "Great Kazuma Kuwabara" was afraid of heights?

Forcing his quaking legs to steady, Kuwabara stood up, glaring down at Kuama and Roviel, both of which was happily landbound.

"Yea, I'm up here. Now Kurama you better tell me what I'm doing all the up here?"

"Calm down Kuwabara. You are in no danger. Now can you see anything from up there?"

Dropping onto his knees, Kuwabara crawled slowly to the jutting edge of the stone.

"I definitely am seeing things, like your smiling face. Just wait until I get down from this place... Eh... I see the wasteland we just crossed, and the hole where I nearly killed myself in just then... And what else..."

Sweat fell from his brow, blurring his vision. Lifting a shaky hand to wipe his face, Kuwabara suddenly stopped. He was staring at something, the astonishment of it making his jaws go slack. Then he was laughing, praising himself with a voice that could easily go one full mile.

"I see it! I see the X! HA! I knew I was right! What do you have to say now Roviel, ne? I _told _you that, AHHH!!!!!"

In his excitement the idiot forgot where he was, and one ill placed foot in his victory dance caused the boy to fall. It was a long way down...

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Rubbing the large bruise on his arm, Kuwabara sulked as he watched Kurama and Roviel diligently clearing a patch of land of any soil. He was lucky, a jutting point snagging his shirt and holding the boy in midair for two whole seconds. Not enough to prevent the fall, but enough that he landed without too much in the way of injuries. Now he's sat there, nibbling on an apple while watching the other two dig.

"Hey, Kurama. How did you figure out that the flowers pattern makes a giant X?"

"Actually, the credit is yours by right, Kuwabara. When I first saw the garden, the strangeness of its layout perplexed me. I had dismissed this oddity as a trivial matter, and it was not until you mentioned X did everything suddenly fit. The placement of the plants in the garden; two diagonal rows, each intercepting each other in the middle and at a right angel. What else could fit be but a cross, or in this case, an X?"

"Well if you figured it out, then why did I have to climb all the way up there for?"

"I'm afraid that I wasn't quite sure of my theory, and therefore asked you to see the garden from a higher perspective. That way, you would have seen this whole place and would be able to see the X."

Standing in the shoulder-deep pit, Roviel shook her head softly. But she's got to admit, these whelps. Who would have thought, that the chamber they were looking for was right under their very nose, where the two lines intercepted. Scooping away at the sandy soil, her fingers suddenly touched metal. Wiping the dirt away, sunlit eyes crinkled in silent laughter. In the words of Botan; Bingo.

"I think we've just found our hidden chamber. It's made from metal, thick too."

Picking up a piece of rock, Kurama brought it down hard onto the casing. A bare scratch showed, just a tiny mark on the dull surface. Rolling her head in slow circles, Roviel heard a slight crack as something around her neck settled back in place. Hell if she was going to break this bloody thing open...

"I see! A job for the Great Kuwabara! Do not worry, for I will soon smash the thing into dust!"

Injuries forgotten, Kuwabara jumped down into the hole, and before Roviel could yell "STOP IDIOT!" the boy brought his Spirit Sword crashing down onto the metal at their feet. Oh it broke alright, falling away in scattered shards. The only problem was that, having nothing under their feet anymore, Roviel, Kurama and Kuwabara found themselves dropping down into a dark hole, one that hopefully lead to somewhere soft, for their sake.


	8. Two Simple Words, Why Me?

Chapter Seven: ...Two Simple Words; Why Me?...

Shattering booms reverberated in the darkened room, bouncing off the stone walls and metal ceiling. Dust fell from the hole above, dancing through the century old air, moving through the room where no one have seen for years untold. But now the ancient slumber is broken, awakened in a very rude fashion.

Her lungs squeezed desperately for air, the impact of the fall paralyzing her body. Her leg stung badly, most likely cut by the jagged metal shards and serrated rocks that fell with them. Coughing out the heavy shower of dust, Roviel rolled painfully from her back to her side, before pushing herself into a sitting position. A hurried check showed that she didn't suffer many major injuries. Her right forearm was badly skinned, and as Roviel presumed, a long gash bleeds freely down her right thigh. Muffling a cough against her arm, Roviel peered around her, hoping to see where the two youngsters are and how they faired.

There was light, feeble redness pouring down from the hole above her. A glance upwards showed just how lucky she was. It was a long way down, the two meter wide hole now no bigger than an extremely large plate. Seeping into the gap, the crimson hue bathed the disaster scene with shadowy willingness.

To her right, something moved amongst the rubble, the dark bulk pushing out from the ground. Amber orbs stared at the shape, who was it? That answer was soon answered as a string of loud cursing clawed through the air. She grinned at this, no matter in what situation, that boy never change. The orange haired head lifted, eyes searching around the room before finally latching onto Roviel.

"Roviel! It's you! Are you alright? Where are we?"

Strange, considering for once she didn't hate his voice.

"Yes, it's me. I'm fine, if you meant if I'm alive or not. Where are we? I'm taking a very educated guess that this is the chamber where the Key is kept in."

She scrutinized the dust covered boy, one tawny eye inspecting him from head to feet. Strange, how come he's not hurt at all? She glared him now, curiosity lingering in her unwavering gaze.

"Just how did _you_ escape this disaster without even a scratch?"

Kuwabara grinned happily. Apparently the boy had a fine store of surprises up his sleeve.

"Well, you see. When we were falling I made my Spirit Sword grow longer, and it stopped me falling. It worked, until something hard hit my head and broke my concentration. I fell then, but it was like so close to the ground so there wasn't any damage."

He definitely seemed proud, the sentences coming out in a rush. His face was positively red by the time the boy finished his speech, ending it with a deep intake of breath. Her one-sided grin widened. Humans... Speaking of humans. Roviel pushed herself up, wincing slightly as she favored her undamaged leg. Hobbling over to Kuwabara, Roviel continued to scan the bedraggled area. Where is the kitsune? He couldn't have died so easily; even Kuwabara survived. An eye twitched. She better not have to go all the way back to Reikai dragging the dead body of the red-head...

"Looking for someone?"

The soft voice came from their right, and Kuwabara scrambled over too the dark corner.

"Kurama, where are you? I can't see very well."

A sound of life drifted from behind a large boulder, one that leaned against the stone wall in a very dangerous matter. Limping over to the rock, Roviel took one side while Kuwabara took the other. Taking a firm hold on the rock, she glared over at the orange-haired boy.

"You better not mess it up, boy. If that happens, then the fox is going to be squashed into a very small lump."

"Um... What do we do now? I mean, Kurama is hurt badly, and you don't look like if you can move very fast. Even if I find the Key, I won't know what to do with it..."

Crystal blue flashed in the dim light, the elegant curves of the blade flowing through the brown linen like a knife cutting through soft snow. Her trench coat, or what remained of it, laid on the ground in neat strips. The cutting down, a soft forest mist rose before leaving a golden necklace in its wake. Taking one ribbon, Roviel turned her attention to her injury. Why didn't they think of packing some bandages before they left was beyond her. Tying the last knot, she leaned back against the rough wall, eyes closing in weariness. Although she hates to admit it, Kuwabara _did _have a point. The boy would most likely lose the Key, even if he does find it. She could walk, and most likely run, but the wound was an annoying distraction. As for the fox...

Turning her head, one hooded eye looked over to the sitting Kurama. Out of all of them, he took the most damage. The splinter of metal that had pierced his stomach was out now, but that only worsened the damage. At least before it was pulled out the piece stopped any major blood flows...

"There is no need for either of you to be worried over me."

One hand clamped tight to his side, Kurama slowly stood up, and gave a shaky smile to his group.

"See? It is nothing, really. I think Kuwabara tied the bandages tight enough to stop my breathing, let alone any blood loss."

The fawn coated eye closed, a long sigh blew into the space. Sound of shuffling could be heard, followed by some scuffled kicks into the dirt. Stamping her booted feet, Roviel stretched.

"My my, what a team we make. A disaster bringing idiot, a half dead fox and a disabled sarcastic bitch that can't defend for her life."

Kuwabara stared at her in dismay while Kurama bit down hard to stop laughing. She smirked.

"What are you two waiting for then, a sign for some god? Move already, I'm bored."

It's strange. The whole place was underground with no visible source of light. And yet she could easily see the backside of Kuwabara running before her. So where did the light come from? Eerie, the blue light that glowed from the stones themselves. How do they do that? Doesn't seem to have any sort of ki in the walls... Realizing just what she's doing, Roviel rolled her eyes in despair. Was she actually some kind of reasonable answer to her question? Gods, what is her brain coming to? This is Makai, for god's sake...

They've been walking for some time, down this hall and that corridor. Some lead to dust covered libraries, other opened up racks of rusting weapons. She was becoming worried. How long have they been down here, searching for the right room? If what Koenma said was right, then that means every second they waste looking for the right path is one second closer to a confrontation with groups of crazed youkais. Kuwabara had tried time after time to sense some hint of ki energy that might help them. But it was all in vain. Kurama was breathing hard, an unhealthy pale look making his long red tresses and emerald eyes stand out more. Kuwabara, being his stupid human self, was barging into one room then another, not only wasting time but also energy. Halting suddenly, her left hand came up onto the wall, supporting Roviel's panting form. Damn leg, must have hit an artery.

...The wall was nice, cool and smooth, a silky touch against her fingertips... Wait! The tawny eyes snapped up at the wall, where her hand rested. Rubbing furiously at the area, Roviel stared the metallic plating that had previously been covered in dust. One eye twitched.

"A map! Of all the things! A _map!"_

Following the path that was marked out on the bronze map that could be found be at every corner, the trio moved ever closer to their mission item. Having found the existence of the maps, everyone suddenly found some last reserve of energy. Now only two turns to go before they reach their destination. Listening to Kuwabara's outraged shouts, Kurama chuckled.

"It does seem amusing, does it not? I suppose that is what happens when one becomes_ too _knowledgeable; one tends to overlook the simplest things."

"Um, you guys. Isense Youki."

Her head whipped around, golden orbs burning into the boy.

"Is it of the Key?"

Kuwabara gave a nervous laugh.

"Eh, no... There's more than one..."

"Are you able to sense how many there are?"

She glared at the fox. How he managed to keep his voice steady at a time like this was beyond her...

"I'm not sure how many there are, but there's one thing I know. They are coming here, fast."

Sighing, Roviel looked down the corridor. Only one more to go... The eyes narrowed. Hell if she's going to be beaten by a pack of cult-crazed youkais...

"Move, idiots! Or are you two going to be some welcoming party for whoever is coming?"

"This...is...too...easy..."

Charging into yet another pack of idiot youkais who had some death wishes, Kuwabara slashed away at the snarling faces. The boy definitely had endurance, that much she'll give him. Even after what they've been through today, Kuwabara was still able to beat the pack of youkais who were also rushing to the pedestal at the end of the room. Glaive in hand, Roviel gave a fanged grin to the orange haired boy as her weapon worked its deadly beauty.

"Too easy? So why do I see you panting?"

"I'm...not...tired... Too...much...excitement...fighting..."

The last opponent fell, sliced by a Rose Whip. Clutching at his side, Kurama smiled in relief.

"This was the last of them, I think. Is the Key at the top of the pedestal?"

Kuwabara, being the tallest, dragged his form over to the tall white marble stand. Standing on tip toes, he peered over the edge. Limping over to the dais, Roviel leaned against the wall in weariness. Well, it turned out better than she expected. The kitsune, who was walking over to them, was not dead. No other catastrophes suddenly jumped out from the air. The youkais got what they deserved and they found the bloody Key. Reaching over, Kuwabara retrieved something from top of the stand. Between his fingers, covered with dust, dirt and gods know what else, was a small, plain, simple key. Her eye twitched. They came all the way for _this? _It was small, no longer than her thumb. Made from what appeared to be plain gold, it was nothing more than a round, toothless rod attached to a square handle. It reminded her of the first keys ever made, those huge heavy things. Except this one was smaller, _much _smaller... Grinning madly at their successful mission, Kuwabara began to walk out off the room, cleaning the artifact of any grim.

"Hey, it wasn't that hard at all! We got the Key right here, _and _I got to kill lots of youkais."

One corner of her lips curved. Look at how quickly the boy forgot the calamities they just went through. Humans...

"So, you like to kill youkais? Is that right, human?"

Kuwabara gave a loud yelp of surprise, one that quickly ended as a blast of ki slammed into him. Slamming into the ground, Kuwabara stayed down, the Key still in his fist. Five figures appeared in the doorway, three female and two male. Apparently they were hiding outside of the door all this time. A chest deep growl rose from Roviel's throat. How come she can't feel their ki? Beside her, Kurama shifted in his stance. So the kitsune also noticed the strange lack of energy. As if reading their minds, one female pulled a tiny bottle of some sort.

"So, we surprised you? Didn't feel our energy, right?"

The female snapped the lid off the bottle, and their Youki blasted into Roviel's senses. So, the bottle contained their Youki, allowing the five to hide undetected. The female, who seemed to be the leader, began to stroll over to Kuwabara's unconscious body.

"I have to thank your human friend here. Perhaps you didn't know, but the Key could only be removed from its resting place by someone who had Reiki, not Youki. Finding out this little problem, we send an anonymous letter to that stupid ruler of Reikai, warning him about the Key and how a group of youkais were planning to take it..."

The growling turned into a snarl of pure fury, and the female stopped short. Looking over at Roviel, she sneered in distain.

"Why I even bother with trash like you I'll never know. Anyhow, I knew that Koenma was bound to send at least two of his precious detectives over to investigate. And one of them would definitely be either that toushin with the Reiki, or the stupid human that uses a sword. So all we had to do was wait until you removed the Key for us."

Kicking away a dead body of the youkai that was here before, the female laughed.

"How perfect it was, that this pack of low-leveled pests decided to show when they did. And to think that they were going to use on that leader of theirs. Such a waste... What are you smiling at?"

Roviel was grinning her feline grin, the ivory canines catching the dim blue light of the room.

"You think you are so smart, hiding your Youki and making us do all the work."

Her right hand lifted; the tips of her thumb, forefinger and middle pinched together as if holding something. Slowly the three digits pulled apart, now each tipped with a green globe of Youki. Suddenly the globes separated, turning into six spheres, then twelve, then twenty four.

"Well guess what? There are two people I hate most in the world. The first is a liar..."

Then the mass of Youki globes disappeared, blinked out and taking their presence with them.

"...And the second are people who pretend to be smart, who think that they know everything that's going to happen. Now let me tell you something, _bitch."_

Her right rose again, the palm facing upwards at the ceiling.

"You take one more step, any of you, and I'll make sure that you die a horrid death."

One of the males laughed.

"Please! Who do you think you are playing with? You don't have enough Youki to even light a match. Didn't you think I'd notice how your attack just died out just then? Ha!"

As if to prove his point, the male swaggered towards her. Roviel's grin widened.

"Wrong again. Quicksilver!"

The fingers of her right hand curved back to the palm, making a "come" gesture. Suddenly the male youkai stopped in his tracks, screaming as miniature bombs seem to explode from inside him. Bones shattered, tendons snapped. It only lasted seconds, but that was enough to see the youkai's form collapse, dead.

"See? What did I tell you? That"s one of my new attacks I learned to use with this Youki business. The green glows that disappeared earlier? They didn"t die out, but turned invisible and undetectable. I threw them into the air, and if someone gets close enough to touch one of those things, it burrows into the person, while attracting the other orbs to that same person. At my command, they return to me, not caring what gets in their way."

"Ah, interesting. But sadly, I see it takes up a large amount of your Youki. And I don't think you have any more energy to try that attack again."

"Want to bet on that?"

Three whole seconds passed, three whole seconds of deadly ceasefire. Then everything just went beserk. The three remaining youkais charged towards them, while the female sprinted towards Kuwabara's body. Calling up whatever was left of her Youki, Roviel yelled at Kurama.

"Idiot fox! What are you standing there for? Get the Key!"

The rest was hazy. Roviel remembered her shimmering rage finally boiling over, snarling at the three enemies as her glaive danced. She remembered mentally yelling in happiness as Kurama managed to snatch the Key away, the distraction costing her dearly as someone attacked her from behind. She remembered Kurama falling to his knees, the Key in his hand, the hand that's covered withfreshblood from his wound. And then a golden glow enveloped the room, a soft warm light that reminded her of her own bed, back at home. When the light died back down, Roviel, Kurama, and even the enemies stared at. For standing before Kurama, as solid and real as the blood thirsty look in his golden eyes, a tall fox with silver white hair glared at the female youkai. The last thing Roviel remembered before blanking out was just how could Youko Kurama, the Legendary Thief of Makai, could have escaped from his bond.


	9. I have Just Found the Silver Lining

Omasunoniwabanishi: Man, you review fast! Hope you had a great Christmas, a wonderful present for Boxing Day, and the best New Years! And that goes to you who is reading this now!

Yea, I know. Took a day off yesterday... Might take a day off again on New Year's Eve... Not sure yet. So, um, like just telling you guys, in case someone was wondering why I haven't put up my daily chapter yet.

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Chapter Eight: ...I Have Just Found the Silver Lining...

"Hey look Yuki! Isn't that Saiku over there? Where was she yesterday? I didn't see her in school at all! And who's that with her? I haven't seen him in this school before..."

Turning around, Yuki put on a face of confusion.

"Well I don't know. The first week's over already, so it's not my problem if she decided to skip school yesterday."

Scanning the school grounds, Yuki found Roviel and Kurama. Not that the pair was hard to miss. Roviel was stalking towards school building, lecturing the red-head on "responsibility" and "caution". Sporting a bandaged arm and a limp, she never less moved at an amazing pace, one that the kitsune was lucky to keep up with. Seeing him, Yuki grinned. Looks like she wasn't the only girl who had the "love at first sight" scenario. Walking down the front ground, Kurama turned many heads, most girls, a few guys.

"Hey, isn't that Shuichi Minamino, from Meiou High, that smart school? What's he doing here?"

If not that, then some other form of personal information of the red-head was quick to fill the ears of the onlookers.

Striding up to the school building, Roviel gave a nod towards Yuki and Sara before walking on. Kurama waves and smiled, following the furious looking girl before him.

"Hey, aren't you Shuichi, from Meiou High? Why are you here?"

Sara, the loud mouth... Yuki poked her friend and hissed at her.

"Why are you asking so many questions for? You don't even know the guy."

"No, but neither do you. And just because you have no interest in cute guys doesn't mean that I have suffer through that as well."

A loud cough broke through the two girl's whispered conversations. Having stopped in her rampage, Roviel turned one eye onto Sara.

"Shuichi, or as you call him, the "cute guy", is here because his car crashed into me yesterday when I was coming to school. And now he's coming with me to the principle's office to explain my absence yesterday. That's enough information for you?"

Sara blushed, partly for the fact that their private conversation was overheard, partly for the fact that she was being stared at with the most unpleasant of looks from Roviel. Sighing at the pitiful state this world was in, the amber glare moved from Sara onto Kurama.

"What are you standing there for? Move!"

Watching the two walk into the building, Yuki smiled unconsciously. She was hit by Kurama's car? So _that's_ the excuse they've come up with. Yuki wondered how Roviel was going to explain her absence and injuries. But by the looks of things, both Roviel and Kurama have healed exceptionally well. Thinking over that statement, Yuki's thoughts turned back to the last two days in Reikai...

---------------------

"_What! Where are they now? Are they hurt really bad? Who brought them back? Is Kurama going to be all right?"_

_Holding up his hands, Yusuke waved them as he tried to calm Yuki._

"_Take it easy. I was just going to tell you everything. Let me finish, ok? Geez."_

_Ignoring the girl's urgent looks, the toushin sat down on a wooden chair, and opened his bottle of coke. In between large gulps, he told Yuki the whole story._

"_Well it's like this. You know how Roviel, Kuwabara and Kurama went on a mission? The mission was to get this Key that could unlock any binding spells and curses right? From what they told me, is looks like the three of them were ambushed by some youkais who were also after the Key. They fought and stuff, and managed to get out off it alive. Nothing too bad; Kuwabara just got knocked out, Kurama overtaxed his stamina and Youki and Roviel just lost a bit too much blood. They are all fine now, and awake. Got back last night, the three of them, all unconscious_..."

"_So that means Kurama's ok?_"

_Yusuke winced._

"_Eh, there's one other detail I forgot to mention to you. You see, the person who dragged all three of them back was Youko Kurama_..."

_She frowned._

" ..._Kurama? So what's the big deal about that?"_

_Yusuke laughed nervously. If there was one thing being with Keiko for so many years had taught him, it's that one should _never _make a girl confused, because them they'll get angry, and he know first hand how ruthless girls could get_...

"_Eh, it's not what you think. You know Kurama right? Well he isn't a human; he's a kitsune youkai in a human body_..."

---------------------

Watching from her second story window, Yuki followed Kurama's procession out of the school. Quite a few girls have dared the home room bell for the fox, running to his side and asking, Yuki guessed from the papers and pens, for his home address and contact number. She grinned; Sara was wrong, she was into good looking guys. Just that her friend doesn't know yet...

The door banged open with a loud snap, and storming in was, who else, but Roviel? Taking her seat behind Yuki, the youkai began to mumble dark words at the desk, occasionally adorned with the words "Youko" and "damn fox". Turning around, (Mr Sato was late, once again.) Yuki tapped lightly at Roviel's desk.

"I'd thought you would be happy, now that there is an extra person to help with missions, and that means Koenma would call upon you less. Isn't that a good thing?"

Roviel raised one brow at Yuki. One day she has to try out this "love" thing. It's amazing how thick people become, blinded by love.

"You actually think that Youko's going to help? Ha! That's as likely as Hiei falling in love with Kuwabara."

Yuki saw the youkai's lips twitch.

"But I'll forgive your insolence this time, seeing it that you've completely and utterly dove into the unreachable depth of love, where the light of truth could never reach your shadowed eyes."

Yuki rolled her eyes. Why does Roviel have to be so sarcastic all the time?

"This time it's serious! You weren't there, so you can't know what I mean. Youko's the best!"

"Who's the best?"

"AH!"

Yuki jumped in her seat at the sudden voice, her beating heart still wasn't calm even as she saw that the intruder as only Sara. Winking at Yuki, Sara grinned in mischief.

"So, you have a boyfriend and you haven't told me! How could you?"

Never in her life had Yuki been happier to hear Mr Sato's loud entrance, the teacher's blundering ways allowing her to avoid answer Sara's accusing question. As Mr Sato began to mark the roll, Yuki leaned over towards Roviel.

"Hey, can I go where you go for lunch all the time? The place that no one can find?"

Hearing the whispered plea, lazy orbs of fawn gold crinkled.

"Sure."

---------------------

_Soft steps, each careful and deliberate, lapped at the silent air. Peeking around the corner, Yuki hoped that Youko didn'__t go _too_ far. She had asked Hiei, and accompanied with the _"_Hn_"_ was a point down the corridor Youko took. She had thought of waiting outside Koenma's office, where the Prince of Reikai was talking with Youko, but that would look very suspicious. So now she was trailing after Youko, wanting to see just what the King of Thieves looked like. Since he's a fox, then does that mean he would have fur and a tail and everything? Seeing that it was empty, Yuki gave a sigh and stepped into the hallway, hoping that she would be able to catch the fox at the next turn._

"_Looking for someone?_"

_A low voice drawled out from behind her, causing Yuki to spin around in fright. There, just three feet behind her, leaning against the wall, was the smirking from of Youko. Staring at the white clad figure, Yuki felt her mind turn blank. A tiny corner of her mind shrieked that it was horribly rude to stare, not to mention that her mouth was hanging slightly open. But how could that voice compete with Youko? The smirk not lessening, the fox bent forward, coming so close to Yuki that she hardly dared to breath. As a matter of fact, Yuki stopped breath completely; every fiber of her mind was on the fox, who was leaning so close_...

"_You know, you would look pretty_...If _your jaw wasn't hanging open._"

_One of his hands lifted, the fingers closing her jaw softly. Straightening, Youko stretched._

"_Ah, it's great to be back, to have a body again._"

---------------------

_His eyes, they were amber too. No, not amber, for his was a lighter color than Roviel's, While Roviel's eyes reminded Yuki of the first light of dawn, or the dying magnificence of the day; his was much stronger, the sun at its mightiest, where nothing dared to challenge the flaring globe of molten gold. Much was the same with his eyes, in them holding supreme control and unquestionable power. And yet, despite all that, those eyes held a grudging softness, as if not sure whether he truly admired something or was just a passing fancy. Occasionally those eyes would be covered, the maple color shadowed by strands of silver._

_Or were they silver, these soft tresses of shimmering white. Platinum gold or steel gray? Was there an actual right answer? The hair, it suited him well, holding within them a bold mystery that surrounded the rest of him. Perhaps that was what drew her in, the thought of discovering the secrets that were lost to her, and yet as clear as day to him._

"_So, who were you looking for, me?_"

_Youko's voice snapped Yuki out of her daydream. She flustered, at a loss for what to say._

"_Yea_..._ No. Um_..._I was just walking and_..._ Yusuke told me about you and like_..._ You were the one who spoke first! Oh yea, my name's Yu_"

"_Yuki Hatake. I know exactly who you are._"

_Those alluring eyes looked at her._

"_Remember, before yesterday, I was in Shuichi's body._"

_Before yesterday_..._ A sudden thought occurred to Yuki._

"_Does that mean Kurama, I mean Shuichi is now human?_"

_Youko grinned._

"_Why do you ask? Still nervous for your boyfriend?_"

_Her mouth opened, and some stuttered words came out._

"_He's not, I'm not his, NOTHING'S GOING ON!_"

_His grin widened. She was an interesting one, whose shy exterior masked a bossy, but kind hearted and simple girl_...

"_Whatever you say. No, Shuichi is not turned into a normal human, even if he wishes to be. You see, when I escaped my binding with the help from the Key of Ages, part of myself was left behind. I think this was because when I first entered Shuichi, he was still unborn, and thus still growing. My theory is that while he was still growing, my human counterpart absorbed some of me, so when I left his body, Shuichi still had youkai parts in him._"

"_So does that mean he's a youkai now?_"

"_You are not only attractive, but also smart I see. Yes, he's a youkai now, although no longer as powerful as before. But I have no doubt my human half would be quick to train himself back to an A level._"

---------------------

Today it was a chicken salad, something light. Nibbling on a piece of badly cut tomato, she watched as Roviel went through the ritual poking of her lunch. The detailed inspection done, she picked the sandwich up, having approved of the salmon and lettuce meal. Watching Roviel biting into the bread, Yuki suddenly spoke up.

"Why aren't you asking me anything?"

She was ignored, the lunch must bepretty then...

"Why should I?"

"Don't you want to know what happened? Aren't you curious?"

"Why bother. If it's important, I'm bound to know sooner or later. If not, then I do not need to waste time listening."

"Are you still going to call Kurama kitsune, even though he's not any longer?"

"Don't know, don't care."

Apparently the lunch was better than she thought, or why else would Roviel devote her time to devouring the food rather then listening to her recount of her meeting with Youko? Turning her own attention back to the salad, Yuki prodded at a piece of carrot.

---------------------

"_So_..._ How did you get out?_"

_They were walking, where to, she doesn't know. But that doesn'__t matter; after all, Youko was walking beside her._

"_I was, and still am, the King of Thieves of Makai. Before those sad low life bastards that dared to call themselves youkais knew of its existence, I had already tried countless times to steal the Key of Ages. But, in the end, I reached the conclusion that it could not be moved, or at least, not with any power I had. When things became tight back in the chambers, I knew I had to use to the Key to get out and aid Shuichi and Roviel. Of cause, I knew how the Key worked, unlike some pacifier sucking toddler. So I told Shuichi to grab the Key, to coat it with his blood, to say the right words and push his ki into the Key the right way. It worked, and just in time too. Of cause, I'm not a figure to be forgotten so quickly from history, those pests knew of me and who I was. They begged for mercy, pathetic waste. After I disposed of these nuisances, I brought those three back to Reikai._"

_Two ogres saw them, both hurrying out of the kitsune's way. Noticing this, Yuki grinned. He's not that scary as she imagined him to be, listening to Yusuke's descriptions. Rather, the master thief proved to be somewhat of a fun companion_...

"_It's going to be hard from now on, remembering to call Shuichi by his human name, now that you are here. It would be easy for me; I've only known him for a week or so. But that would be a whole different thing for Yusuke and them._"

_Something jumped out in her mind, and Yuki laughed._

"_Wonder how it's going to be like for Roviel? She keeps on calling Shuichi fox, so how's that going to work now?_"

_Youko muse over that dilemma._

"_Roviel_..._ She isn't the type to change anytime soon. Not that any of us really does_..._ Youkais, I mean._"

_Looking up at Youko, Yuki noticed that his ears had a slightly darker sheen to his hair, only a tiny bit._

"_Why?_"

_He shrugged, tail twitching as he walked._

"_When you get to her age, or mine as a matter of fact, you find that nothing short of a miracle is possible to change your perspective at life or anything in it._"

_He chuckled._

"_Listen to my talk; I'm getting old_..."

_She snorted at the comment, the pure silliness of it all. Ha, a centuries old fox youkai calling himself old?_

"_Youko would be fine._"

_She frowned. That came out of the nowhere._

"_Pardon?_"

_He grinned down at her._

"_What you people will be calling me. Youko sounds good. Shuichi cankeep his new name.And besides, Kurama sounds too old._"


	10. For Love or Money

To Omasuoniwabanshi: I'm so happy that you liked the flashbacks. Actually, I just came up with the idea because I was trying to cut down on all the unnecessary stuff/time jumping, like what happened after they left, or something like "she heard Botan calling them into Koenma's office..." That line is way too old, and does not add anything to the story. So I decided to use flashbacks, thus cutting out all the boring bits without making the chapters look weird and have that stuck-together/not flowing kind of look.

Lol! Thank thee! I've been Rping for over two years now, and that greatly helps with my description/whole story-writing thing in general. Not only do you get to hone your own abilitites, you get to see how others write, what their style is and how does that contrast with yours. After a while, you kind of find out what your weakness and strong spots are. Then it's just a matter of focusing on what you think is important, and there!

To Mary Tyson: You came back! I'm jumping over the moon! _Not literally, of cause, my Yami just decided to smash the moon to pieces and I'm just hopping over the remains. Lol!_ I had a great New Year, nearly got squashed by drunk backpackers who were trying to climb up a office block's wall. Strange... Anyways, I'm happy that you are pleased. The thing is with this story, explainations does not always come instantly. One have to wait until few chapters later until the paradox is solved. But so glad that you returned! Hope you stay, if of cause, you don't mind the lack of sanity in my dream-turned-fanfic. Enjoy!

Note: If this chapter was... not it's usual standards, please bear with me. Don't worry, I share your pain on this one too. It was living hell to write...

* * *

Chapter Nine: ...For Love or Money...

Standing before the gate of Meiou High, one hand rose absently to tuck strands of trailing hair behind one ear. Only three more minutes until the bell, only three minutes before the spring holiday starts. She can't wait to go to Reikai, to spend a whole week there. Having told her parents that she was staying over at a friend's house, and that they were welcome to call her at any time, Yuki had successfully applied reverse psychology on her parents. Knowing very well that with so much ways of contact, her parents won't ever think of checking up on their daughter. So here she was, bag ready, waiting for Kurama, who offered to help Yuki on her "mission". Looking into the distance, Yuki sincerely hoped that she would succeed.

---------------------

"_Please? Just this once? If you think it's too dangerous, then could jut give me the easiest, safest mission? Anything, anything at all! Please?_"

_Koenma didn't even bother lifting an eye, a sure sign that this wasn't the first conversation they've had that somehow came to this._

"_Yuki, how many times have we been over this; no, you are not allowed to go to Makai. Yes, you have been training for half a year, but that is definitely not enough if you wish to survive in Makai. Although you might have forgotten, you are still quite human, Yuki._"

_Oh that one hit the spot. The last thing Yuki wanted was to be reminded that she didn't have any ki of any sort._

"_Just because I can't do any of those fancy attacks doesn't mean that I'm useless. Just go and ask Kuwabara or Yusuke. They know how much stronger I've gotten in the last three month. They can tell you that I can easily handle any situation._"

"_Yes, but they won't be the one who'll have to stamp an approval for your soul to be reborn if something happens to you. Now will you leave, I've got work to do._"

_Yuki glared daggers at the toddler. This was the fifth time she asked to be allowed on a mission, to see just what Makai or youkais look like, to go into a real battle. But every time her argument ended like this one, to be dismissed off-handily by Koenma. She was in the process of leaving when Koenma's voice stopped her._

"_Well, there _is _a way, now that I think about it._"

"_What, what is it? I'll do anything; just tell me what I need to do!_"

_Scrambling around the towers stacks of sheets and petitions on his table, Koemna finally withdrew a thin and battered book. Flipping to a particular page, the baby handed the book to the eager Yuki._

"_That is the Life Orb. It is able to awaken the dead and control them. It is also able to prevent it's user from dying, even if it is a mortal wound. From what my sources tell me, Youko is currently in possession of the Orb. Now, your mission is to bring the Orb back to me. If you succeed, I will allow you to be the part of the Reikai Tentai._"

---------------------

Watching Kurama walking over, Yuki fought hard not to laugh at the sight. Behind him, a group of girls followed the red-head, looking as if they have every intent to worship the dirt he steps over. Seeing Yuki, Kurama hurried over.

"I'm terribly sorry for my lateness, but there was some, eh, matter of importance that I had to attend to."

No doubt trying to pry himself from the girls. Seeing Yuki, many of Meiou High's girls stared at her. No, stare wasn't strong enough, for they were glaring death towards Yuki, this stranger girl that was talking to Shuichi, and not even from this school! Who does she think she was, talking their Shuichi away from those that deserved his attention? Seeing the hostile onslaught, Yuki was turning away and about to drag Kurama away from this place.

"Hey, brats. Finished staring yet? Or have none of you ever heard of manners? But then again, I highly doubt that one such as yourself have the intellectual capacity as to maintain constant abstract thought and reasoning that are needed for all human kind, let alone be able to comprehend the delicate rules and laws of social appearance."

Yuki was not the only one staring, so was everyone else within the hearing range of Roviel's voice. Only Kurama wasn't looking, the boy to biting down hard on his thumb to stop laughing. One of the fangirl stepped out, glowering at Roviel, who looked strangely out of place in her school uniform.

"What did you just say? Say that again, I dare you."

Yuki winced inwards. The girl just fell into Roviel's trap. It's been six month since she had first ridden on Botan's oar, and the girl had learnt to read the subtle signs in Roviel, from the way she stood to her smile. And now, the youkai had the pose of someone who had just won their match. Allowing herself crooked grin, Roviel turned away.

"See? My point exactly; you do not even have the brains to understand speech, the foremost way of communication. Now shoo, I do not have as much spare time as to waste upon such trivial matters as yourself when one could use them to relish in the more pleasurable pursuits in life."

---------------------

As they walked slowly towards Kurama's house, Yuki called to Roviel, who was far in front of Kurama and her.

"Why are you here? I thought it's your day off. Shouldn't you be enjoying yourself?"

A snort came from the youkai, and her steps slowed as she allowed the two to catch up.

"Enjoy? What? What is there to enjoy in this world? Find me one single thing and I'll grovel before your feet if you wanted. As to why I'm here? I have word from the brat."

Now Kurama piped up, hearing the nickname of his boss.

"Koenma? Had anything happened? Am I needed for some urgent matter?"

"No, it's nothing like that. All Koenma told me to tell you was that this."

Here she stopped completely, turning round and facing Yuki and Kurama.

"He said that no one was to help Yukiwith her mission, and that if anyone does not heed this warning, then Yuki would disqualified for becoming part of the Reikai Tentai for the rest of her life."

One amber eye turned onto Kurama.

"And that means you, kitsune. I'm not sure what this mission is, and frankly, I couldn't care less. But it sounds serious. So unless you want to destroy Yuki's only chance at her dream, I would advice you to walk as fast as you can to your house and stay in it for the rest of this holiday."

Yuki rolled her eyes. How was she supposed to find Youko _now_? She had hoped that Kurama, being the thief's former body, might have some way of finding him, but now... Stupid Koenma. It looks like he'll do anything to try and stop her from completing the mission...

"A word of advice?"

Mist grey eyes met tawny amber. Sighing up at the clear sky, Roviel started to walk away.

"The easiest way to catch your prey is not to go after it, but make enough noise so that the prey becomes curious and comes to you."

Realizing what Roviel meant, Yuki smiled at the fast disappearing back of the youkai, who was ushering Kurama off with her, growling at the red-head for something or other.

"...owe me lots, saving your hide last time. Did your family buy the excuse?"

"...hassle than I imagined it would be. Kasan just said to be more aware of the time, just in case the clock runs out of battery again."

"Humans are so gullible; I can't believe that she actually accepted that sad refuse of an excuse."

"I will not let you speak ill of my kasan. She is..."

Yuki's smile widened. Roviel doesn't have _that _much of a mean streak; after all, she _did _give Yuki a major hint. So, she needed to attract the curiosity of her prey? Hand on the ruby pin that will send her to Reikai, Yuki laughed softly. So, let the game begin.

---------------------

Koenma's palace was definitely gigantic, it even had a garden. Actually, a large patch of woodland was more to the point, since it's too large and natural to be a garden of any sort. Two days she spent already in Reikai, two full days dedicated to making the whole castle and any of its visitors know that she was looking for a tall fox thief called Youko. When needed, Yuki's voice could become _very _loud.

Now she was taking a moment off, stopping her assaulted while she rested. Having found this place three weeks ago, Yuki often came here for both piece of mind and privacy. It was nice here, the trees tall and grass lush, flowers scattered here and...

"Looking for someone?"

Yuki jumped, startled at the sudden soft voice that floated from above her. Looking up, her steel grey eyes narrowed at the grinning figure of Youko sitting on a branch high up. Jumping down, the thief landed gracefully, not a single hair out of place. Somewhere at the back her mind, Yuki wondered just how he managed to do that, to come out of a life or death battle and still remain so poised and neat. That part of her mind reached to the conclusion that it was "a fox thing". After all, Yusuke doesn't seem to look so cool when he comes back half dead, so...

"Where the bloody hell did you come from? Scared the living daylights out of me."

Youko shrugged, the careless movement of the shoulders making his hair shimmer under the sunlight.

"Hiei came and told me what you were up to these last two days. He couldn't stand the racket any longer, so told me to come and end all of this, before he comes and ends you."

Ah yes, when in trouble, always trust Hiei to help... She wasn't angry any longer at the shock he gave her, how could anyone stay mad at the thief? But Yuki still persisted with the annoyed look.

"You could have at least walked up to me, like normal people do. Or is being normal too impossible for you?"

Youko grinned inwards. The girl definitely needed to improve on her lying skills. He could see that she wasn't mad anymore, but still the fox decided to play along.

"But I thought you loved surprises. I only wished to surprise you."

Oh, he's trying to be smart, is he?

"Yea, surprises, as in _nice _surprises. Not some kitsune jumping out of a tree and scaring me half to death!"

Nodding at her protest, Youko raised one hand, as if to brush back gold-white hair from his eyes.

"I see. What then, would you consider a nice surprise, this?"

His hand withdrew, holding within it a pink rose, one whose petals of snow white washed against delicate blushes of translucent pink. Lifting the plant, Youko held it before Yuki, waiting for the girl to take his gift.

"I think the color goes nicely with your hair, which, may I add, is absolutely beautiful."

Gently taking hold of the stem, Yuki could not help as a wide grin spread over her face.

"How did you know I love roses?"

Youko sighed, one of those exaggerated ones that made it seem as if the world was becoming dumber by the second.

"I know, because you told Kurama this, before I broke free from the binding. That's how. But paradoxes aside, why do you wish to see me so badly that you risked Hiei's wrath? It must be urgent."

Oh yea. Yuki have nearly forgotten the reason he was here in the first place, having been agonizing over whether to thrash the fox for being acting so smart and having the last word or thanking him for the flower.

"Um, it's like this. Can I have the Life Orb?"

Yes, she was _very _different to Roviel, no subtly at all...

---------------------

"Why is it so important, to be part of the Reikai Tentai? Doesn't know how to fight and win against normal humans enough?"

Biting into a peach, Yuki shook her head. They were in the deserted kitchen now, it having started to rain outside.

"But I love fighting. And it's been so boring, going against the same people all the time. Just because I can't beat Yusuke or Hiei doesn't mean that I'm weak. _I'd_ like to see just how many people can defeat Yusuke."

"But real fights, battles in the depth of Makai, it isn't what you imagined it to be. In Makai, there are no honorable one-to-one duels where defeat could be summoned by a raise of the hand. It's a fight to the end, when victory only comes when Death had his full share. Koenma's right, you do not stand a chance in Makai."

"You know, a simple "sorry, I can't help you" would have done just fine, No need to rub it in."

Youko chuckled.

"Yet another reason why I enjoy your company. One never knows what's to happen next while in your presence."

He looked over at Yuki, who was at the moment biting away at the peach as if it deserved to die a horrible death.

"You know, you aren't like all the other human females that I have the pleasure of meeting, thanks to Kurama. Pitiful things, clinging to my human counterpart, whining and degrading themselves to the level of mindless beasts only for the sake of some attention."

Yuki frowned at him, peach forgotten.

"Are you trying to say something to me? If so then just say it. I have enough of the guessing games from Roviel."

Youko laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

"Nothing, nothing. If you do not understand, then there is no need to ask."

Yuki groaned, looking up at the ceiling as if to seek some answer from the heavens.

"Why do I always get the weird ones? I mean, really. First it's Roviel, then Botan, and now you. What have I done to deserve this?"

Golden orbs shone with laughter. It'snice, finally able to talk to a female who doesn't jump onto the kitsune the second they see him. The furry ears flickered, and Youko arranged his face into that of a hurt puppy, eyes included.

"Don't you like me? I would have thought that you are honored to be in my presence. After all, everybody else is."

"Yea well, like you said before, I'm not like other people."

"That is true enough. What sort of human female would want to risk her life just for the sake of having fun?"

"I would. Which brings us back to my original point; can I please have the Life Orb?"

Youko burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. Yuki's oblivious stubbornness was just too much. Never had he imagined anyone to be so persistent and yet so blank at the same time. Humans... Laughing to himself, Youko stood up, and was in the process of leaving when a very angry girl blocked his way.

"You are not leaving until I have your word that I get the Orb. Koenma only gave me five days to complete this task, and this is already the third day. I have asked nicely, twice, and both times you didn't even bother giving a straight answer. And besides, you have so many treasure already, one little orb can't hurt, right? So just give me the bloody thing before I get mad."

---------------------

He listened to her, amusement plain on his face as her speech swayed between desperate pleading and angry threats. It's rare, seeing her angry. Those eyes of soft grey now glared up in clear anger at him, shards of dark steel blades stark against a background of angry rolling clouds. He never noticed that before, how her eyes didn't consist of one solid color, but rather had two distinct layers, splinters of near black swimming in a sea of paler grey. Locks of peach pink fell, the subtle color almost white against her cheeks now red in anger.

A strange thought came to him, absurd by his former youkai standards. How could his mind even think of such a thing? It was simply too ridiculous even for words. But who cares for what logic thought, didn't Kurone always used to laugh and joke that Youko was all mind and no heart? Kurone... Hundreds of thoughts awoke at the name; memories, dreams, regrets. No, he wasn' t about to make the same mistake twice, wasn't about to let another chance slip away, all for his over-inflated ego.

Thus Yuki was suddenly frozen, motionless in both astonishment and disbelief as Youko's lips met against hers, met and stayed there. She stood still, not knowing how she should respond, _if _she should respond. All of this was too sudden, her numb mind still trying to figure out just what exactly happened.

Silver tipped ears twitched, flickering at some invisible sound. Breaking the kiss, Youko sighed.

"It would appear that we have company."

The word "company"broke Yuki out of her shocked state. Misted eyes roved frantically over the room, trying to find the intruder, trying...Oh My God...

There stood Hiei, the fire apparition staring at this startling scene that he had stumbled upon. A string of curses flew across Yuki's mind, none of which I'll put here, in the fear of giving some innocent reader a permanent mental scar that will remain with them for the rest of their life. Let's just say that if Hiei looked into Yuki's mind right now, his notion that humans are weak creatures that could never compare with youkais would be wiped squeaky clean.

The gawking look did not stay for long, for in an instant his usual of sullen indifference came back, and with a final "Hn", the black shadow disappeared as suddenly as it came. Her face now hot enough to cook on, Yuki groaned into her hands.

"Oh gods! I am going to die. Did you see Hiei? He looked furious."

"Tell me a time when he _doesn'__t _look mad."

Her head lifted out of her hands, a sudden movement that announced the return of her mind. Twirling around in one furious movement, Yuki lifted one hand and pointed squarely at Youko's chest.

"It's all your fault! Why in hell's name did you have to do that?"

Wincing as his sensitive ears took the full impact of those deafening words, Youko back away from the girl's advancing wrath.

"How it is my fault? Ah! It's my fault, my fault. Just don't yell, please?"

"I was asking you for an _artifact_, not a _kiss_! Just what were you thinking and are you going to give me the orb?"

Even in a time like this Yuki's perseverance held. Holding back laughter, Youko dared to pat her gently on the head.

"Sorry girl. You are priceless, but not priceless enough to trade for the Orb. Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to disappear without a single trace for three days. Hope you have luck trying to find the orb!"

And disappear he did, running for his life from a very outraged female. And as most would know, outraged human females can be very deadly...

* * *

OMG! That was just horrid! Out of all the genres, romance would have to be my weakest one. No, wait, not weakest, utterly non-existant! How I hate lemonades. Oranges I can do, lemon and lime no problem, but lemonades... Two little words "Why Me?" Sounds familiar? Yea, I thought so...


	11. As Time Goes By

To Mary Tyson: Mm, fangirls are reincarnation of the devil himself. They deserve to be chased away. Happy that you keep reading my fanfic, I hope that it's enjoyable.

To Asillin Kheldarson: Hello there! Liked the story, well I hope that you stay for the full ride! Lemonades are what you call fuzzy lemons, or something that's sort of have tinnie lemonish bits in it.

* * *

Chapter Ten: ...As Time Goes By... 

The storm had finally broken, growling rumbles of darkened clouds snarling in dejection as bright rays pierced through the clouded sky. It was hard to imagine that only moments ago rain ruled the skies, plummeting down upon the world in nameless fury, seeking to pound everything flat into the ground. It was especially vengeful against the library, the droplets of rain sounding more like solid hail rather than water. Watching the raging downpour, she was ready to give up when, bless the gods, it suddenly stopped. Seeing this abrupt end to the rain, the mid-aged man standing behind the counter laughed.

"You are a lucky one, Saiku. Looks like the heaven is allowing you to go home."

Luck? Yes, perhaps that is what it's called. But if she was lucky, then how come she was still here? A book lay beside her, musky pages opened to show the various runes that existed in this world. Surprisingly, similarities could be found between these runes and the ones she grew up with. Isa was there, and Dagaz as well. Raido could also be found. Interesting, perhaps this world was closer to hers than she thought...

---------------------

Stepping out, a delicious scent greeted her, one that only be found after heavy storms. The smell reminded her of home, clean and rich with the fragrance of the blossoming earth. Breathing in a deep lungful of the green scented air, her misted mind cleared slightly, the hazy thoughts sharpening with each breath. Glancing at her watch, she started walking towards the bus stop, one that will take her to the temple she was supposed to meet at.

The streets were bare of people and cars alike. The rain might have something to do with this rare isolation, but she guessed the cold weather also had its effect upon the humans. Walking past a duck pond, she stopped for a moment, gazing at the frozen surface of the water, the smooth layer of ice covered by a dusting of pure snow. Somewhere in the distance, a single sparrow chirped its song, the solitary voice floating across the still air.

It was strange, this silent isolation. She had nearly forgotten how it felt, this tranquil remoteness that only comes when the mind was still. Back home, it was easy to find; one only had to relax and look up at the infinite sky, to gaze into the stars and the darkness beyond, to drift in and out of waking consciousness. But that was impossible here, is the place. Even in the most unconventional of hours cars would still be driving past, humans still awake and creating some noise or other.

The right hand rose, the watch was checked again. Pushing the hand into its pocket once more, she started to walk again, apparently having found what she was looking for in the ticking machine. Reaching the bus stand, she leaned against a metal pole and closed her eyes, seeking for that seclusion of the mind. Instead, something else came up, a fogged scene drifting up from the misted depth of her mind.

---------------------

_An eye twitched, and she bit down hard on the need to just punch the boy in the face and get this whole thing over with. But a part of her knew that this was for her own good, and like always, that piece of her mind continued to nag until she gave in. Glaring hard at Kuwabara, Roviel inhaled deeply. Her empty fists clenched, she missed having a weapon in her hands._

"_You know, I could easily beat you in hand-to-hand combat. Explain to me again just _why_ I have to go through this?_"

_Kuwabara gave a nervous laugh; having associated with Roviel for over a year, the orange-haired boy knew when the youkai's really being angry or was just acting. And this time the anger didn't look one bit fake. Just as well he wasn't alone; Yusuke looked up from whatever he was reading and yawned._

"_Why? Simple. Because your Youki still isn't strong enough yet. So until any of your attacks, except from Quicksilver, can land a good enough hit on Kuwabara, I'm not letting you out of this room._"

_She ran her tongue lightly over her teeth, lingering over the two sharp incisors._

"_Why do you care if my power's not strong enough? It's not as if my Youki being weak would affect you in any way._"

"_Maybe not now, but there just might be a day where one of our lives are in your hands. I'm not sure about you, but dying twice had taken all the excitement out of the process. I don't want to go through all the paperwork of reincarnation again._"

_Sighing into the empty air, Roviel turned to Kuwabara, who was looking distinctly nervous. Noting this, a crooked grin appeared on her face._

"_Don't worry boy; I play by the rules, even if I do tend to sway on the borderlines. Ready?_"

_Nodding, a sudden burst of amber aura surrounded him, the fierce light gathering in his hands until a sword came forth. Shifting his stance, Kuwabara charged towards Roviel._

"_Eclipse!_"

_A wall of emerald light appeared between the two, one that Kuwabara ran through in his assault. Where his form had touched the light, patches of green appeared all over his figure for a quick moment, some darker than other. Noting the dim areas, ones where the boy's Reiki was weaker than the rest of his body, Roviel prepared for the second attack. Ducking under his swing, jade mist gathered in her palms as she slammed one open hand up at one of the weaker spots._

"_Daybreak!_"

_A serious of open handed attacks commenced, the Youki filled palms striking where resistance was less. Ending the attack, Roviel jumped away, crouching in readiness for the boy to come to her again. Recovering from her attack, Kuwabara gathered himself before rushing towards her again. Seeing the green mist gathering in Roviel's right fist, Kuwabara lunged, gritting his teeth for the Shockwave attack that she was preparing. Gathering as much Youki as she could, Roviel slammed the fist into the ground._

"_Shockwave!_"

_But the attack never came, for abruptly she stood, frozen, the blank eyes blind to the sword coming down upon her, the ears deaf to Kuwabara's yells. For suddenly, she was no longer in the room, but in another world, in another time._

---------------------

A distant roaring rocked down the empty street, the metallic coughing of running engines hacking slowly towards her. Coming to a painful stop, rusty doors opened as the bus driver admitted her in. He took the money without comment, handing her the ticket and the due change without a single sign of life. Pulling on the gear, he stepped down on the accelerator, all the while looking as if he was a robot programmed to do all of this. Seating down towards the back of the bus, her clouded eyes drifted over the few occupants in the bus. An old man sat near the front, a pained look on his weathered face as one hand rubbed absently at his knees. Several seats behind him, a mother tried to stop her five year old son from crying, her shushing and threats of no TV useless. Behind the pair, a man was silently screaming into his mobile, the half whispered quarrel with his wife strangely loud. Turning away from the humans, she gazed out of the window.

A sudden flash of color caught her attention, the picture quickly zoomed past as the bus rolled on, but she could still see it; a small patch of wildflowers bloomed, tiny speckles of bright gold peeking out of the snow. Although it was gone from her sight, she smiled at the flowers, a smile that ended as the world around her faded, the bus and everybody in it. The sound of the man's fierce whispering ceased, falling into the same void that engulfed her before, back when she was training with Kuwabara. Then just like before, another scene appeared, one from her past. But this time it was different, a different flashback to the one she had before. Soon, she was totally surrounded by her memory.

---------------------

Someone knocked on the door, the sound followed by a particularly handsome young man entering; his hands burdened by a large teapot and clay cups. Setting down his handful, he poured out the steaming tea into the cups, he straightened, standing beside the table if any of the guests or his employer needed anything else. It was already late, near midnight, and he wished to sleep.

Lifting on cup, Roviel waved to the servant, the gesture telling him that they she no longer needed him, and that he could rest for the night. Acknowledging his bow, deep pools of shimmering emerald closed in pleasure as she breathed in the fragrance of the steaming tea.

"Ah, jasmine and rose tea, my favorite of all. Just smelling this clears my head."

Nodding absently at the comment, strands of teal wavered as Syra poked her head after the departing servant. Finally when the door closed did she seat back down, a exasperated sigh puffing out as Syra raised her glass of wine.

"He's cute."

Sipping at the tea, Roviel nodded.

"Mm. And he's also gay."

Syra stared at Roviel, white gold eyes gawping at the news.

"What?!"

Zyril chocked on his drink, coughing as elegant man tried to hold back laughter. Grinning into her cup, Roviel brushed loose tresses of red tinted gold from her sight.

"Why yes, and I do believe that our resident illusionist learnt of this first-hand."

Seated across Syra, Lailos glared down at the book he was writing in, muttering something along the line of "terrible memory" and "can't remember". Leaning against the crystal frame of the balcony, Zyril raised on hand, wine nearly tipping out of the cup. Roviel raised one brow. Zyril's drunk? She thought he was on the edge with that sixth cup.

"Since our Kirin has suddenly caught a very convenient attack of amnesia, I volunteer to tell of this story. And would our Griffin correct me if I happen to forget or mistake anything?"

Roviel nodded, lounging back her satin chair and relaxed under the stars. Clearing his throat, Zyril gestured to the now red-faced illusionist and began his story.

"This was before Lailos came seeking employment with my family. So before that, he was under contract with Roviel's parents. Anyhow, when that eye-catching boy you saw before was employed here, he was immediately taken to Lailos. And how could you not have. Look at that moonlight silver hair."

This time, Roviel decided to join the story.

"Indeed, and see how his brown eyes are exactly like that of a baby fawn's?"

"And may we not forget his tallness."

"Mm. And his mysterious origins."

"Not to forget that pair of adorable glasses, aren't they cute?"

Right, he's definitely drunk. Ending her attack at Lailos, Roviel watched in amusement as the illusionist sank lower and lower into the leather seat, trying to desperately to hide himself. Chuckling at the sight, Roviel continued the story from Zyril's intoxicated state.

"Anyways, one day that boy just took it into his head to approach Lailos. He might not look it, but that boy could be very persistent if needed. In the end, Lailos asked my parents to let him go, before running off and eventually began to work for Zyril. That's how I met him, actually. Lailos sent a message over saying how nice his new employer was, and I went snooping over to see."

Syra was now laughing at the top of her lungs, tears threatening to escape down her face. Zyril was now pouring himself a seventh cup of red wine. Where Lailos was, only an empty seat remained. But a flicker of shadow danced around the edge of that seat. Having been silent through the whole time, Vesniel was shaking his head in despair. Children... Pouring out his second cup of tea, the healer tried to change the conversation.

"So, where is Lord Windora? It has been a full day and we are yet to see him."

Kicking at the illusionist's seemly empty chair, Roviel was rewarded with a yelp, that quickly followed by the sudden appearance of its occupant. Seating herself on the balcony awning, Roviel looked over to Vesniel.

"My father? Oh he's out on the world Sehtelok with yet another treaty signing thing. He's been gone for four month, so it's going to be at most another eight month before he comes back. My mother's gone there as well, she always wanted to see a water based world."

The healer nodded, while eyeing Zyril in caution.

"It's hard, being an ambassador."

The sentence would have gone on longer, but Zyril's tuneless humming was getting on his nerves. Jumping up, Vesniel caught his drunken companion with one hand, the other weaving silver flecked patterns in the air. Catching one of the patterns in her eye, Roviel winced in sympathy. Midsummer's Dance? Ouch, that's one hell of an awakening.

The Words worked; one very satisfied looking Vesniel sitting down opposite a now mentally blinded Zyril. Muffing a giggle, Syra suddenly sat up.

"Oh yea, something I've been meaning to ask. Why is it that the maximum length of days one can stay off-world is a full year and one day?"

Roviel shrugged.

"Go ask the Kirin over there, he's supposed to be the expert at strange and bizarre questions like this."

Looking up from the book he was writing in, Lailos frowned.

"It's quite complicated, really. As you know, our world is bound by the endless cycle of the thirteen First Words. Thus everything within this world, including us, is bound within the cycle. But it's not only our world that's like that. Every other world, regardless of it's number of residence or if it's actually safe to live in at all, are all bound by the things that created it. The debate currently going on is the question whether these things that create their world are alive or not, do they have consciousness. But that's off the topic.

When the Roads and other worlds were first discovered, they immediately allowed movement of people between the worlds. But soon it was found that after a period of time, the minds of those people begin to erode. They eventually found that if the people return back to their home world within the time of a year and a day, the erosion would not occur. Those who could not return back in time suffer the erosion effect. This erosion of the mind occures because a living body can not be away from their world's bindings for long, otherwise their mind would slowly unwind almost. The extent and power of theeffect varies from specie to specie. Some go completely insane, while others just can't remember what their safe code was. The erosion could often be reversed when they return back home, but like I said before, it depends upon species. Out of all the species known, it's actually someone in our world that the erosion has absolutely no effect upon. Those Taken could stay in another world without the fear of the slightest effect."

Zyril, who was now sufficiently somber, perked up.

"Why's that? Does it have something to do with the fact that they have spirits living in them?"

Lailos shrugged.

"It's hard to tell, considering that only one out of a ten thousand that's taken over by a spirit survives. The pure absence in number makes their immunity hard to study. What is it, Zyril? You are looking awfully pale. Did Vesniel do something while he was curing you?"

Strange, Zyril _was _looking quite white, and not a healthy one either. Roviel turned one eye onto Vesniel, who shrugged his shoulders. So it wasn't anything to do with that... Setting down his crystal cup, Zyril gazed in sadness at the table.

"It just occurred to me that I have the risk of being mind-wiped. I've already decided to take up my mother's position, and that would mean I have to off-world. I don't want to lose my mind!"

Snorting at this sudden confession, Syra rolled her eyes.

"If you haven't noticed, every time you get drunk you lose your sanity. It's not as if it's anything new..."

---------------------

The bus came to a sliding stop, throwing everyone inside few inches forward. Blinking as she moved back into her seat, she checked the time. Only three minutes have passed. The temple was still twenty minutes away. What was her mind thinking over again? She tried to remember, but in that space of a few seconds, the memory had already faded clean from her mind. It was something from her past, with Syra and Zyril and... what where their names again? There were two more, she was sure of it. But what were they called again? She frowned, trying to remember their faces, but even that was being erased. As every moment passed, a tiny bit more of her pervious life slipped away. Soon, she gave up trying to think. It wasn't important, anyways, otherwise she would have remembered.

The cold air kissed her skin, biting into the nearly healed wound on her cheek. Silently, she gave thanks to Lady Luck again. A tiny bit more, and Kuwabara's Spirit Sword would have sliced more than just skin.

---------------------

_Someone was shaking her shoulders, and yelling in her ear. Growling at this loud blaring, Roviel stood up, glaring at Kuwabara._

"_Just what were you doing?_"

_Kuwabara stared at her. He was scared out of his wits just then, nearly slicing down onto her. At the final second he swung his arm, narrowly missing her neck and clipping one cheek instead. He was expecting her to start yelling at him, and was prepared to run for his life when the boy noticed that Roviel wasn't moving. She was just kneeling there, looking down at the floor in blank nothingness. Yusuke have noticed this as well, and was now running down the hallway of the Rekai castle, looking for anyone that could help._

_But now, half a minute later, she was awake, and snarling as if nothing's happened. She couldn't even remember what her sudden coma was about. All Roviel remembered was seeing sudden blackness, then something. What the something was, she couldn't remember. Kuwabara was getting worried. Were Yusuke and he pushing the youkai too hard? Is that what caused this sudden loss of memory? He hoped not. Even _if _she's a two centuries old youkai, Roviel was still a lady. And his code prevents him from harming females in any way. He wasn't sure if this was harming, but still, better not to have it on his mind._

---------------------

It was a further ten minute walk to the temple, but Roviel didn't mind. The air here was free of the disgusting smells she had come to associate with humans. No cars came here, no stink of petrol, no reek of rubbish carelessly tossed onto the streets. Only trees could be seen here, gentle giants old enough to rival her age. Walking along the worn stone path, amber orbs narrowed as she tried to look through the trees. It better be here. Yusuke's directions were specific enough, but still...

To her relief, a clearing appeared before her, the towering guardians watching silently over the temple at the top of a very long line of stone steps. Sighing into the cold air, Roviel began the tedious climb to the top, one that was slowed by the layer of ice covering over the stone steps. It's going to be a long way up...

"Oh, Roviel. I'm so glad to see you again."

Seeing the figure of Yukina, Roviel grinned back. Dressed in her teal kimono, the okami's delicate features were only accented by the shimmering white around her. Climbing up the few final steps, Roviel let out a loud breath.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Yukina. Tell me, why are you out here for? Aren't you cold?"

Yukina laughed, ruby eyes closing as she shook her head.

"I am an ice apparition; this snow is kinder to me than summer. I have decided to be the welcoming party, as only Hiei and Kurama have arrived. Besides, and I wish to wait for Kazuma, I am worried that he might become lost."

Roviel laughed at that last comment. Yes, it would be like the boy to become lost. Bowing a goodbye to Yukina, Roviel stepped lightly into the temple grounds. It's nice, this place. A tranquil mood fell over this place, one that made it seem as if the world was empty except for here. It's not bad, how did the whelp find this place for the party?

"The temple's closed. I do not admit visitors."

One brow lifted at the speaker, a old lady whose considerable aura washed over her. The black eyes held onto the tawny ones, neither wavering nor blinking.

"I was invited by the whelp, I mean Yusuke. Is this your temple?"

A cynical grin appeared on the old lady's face.

"Whelp, huh? It suits the dimwit."

The sunlit eyes crinkled.

"Dimwit? Hum, that isn't bad..."

The two sets of eyes stared a moment longer, each acknowledging a mutual lull. Looking over Roviel, the old lady huffed into the air.

"I take it you are Roviel, the one that the dimwit and his crew made this party for? I'm Genkai, master of this temple. Kurama is inside, setting up everything."

With that Genkai strolled off, not giving a second glance at Roviel. Still curious over this Genkai figure, the youkai walked into the room Genkai gestured to. As the door slid open, Kurama lifted his head from the half set table. Seeing Roviel, the former fox smiled.

"I am glad to see that at least one of the two special guests has arrived. I was beginning to worry; there is only ten more minutes to eleven o'clock, and I see only three arrivals."

Stepping in, Roviel sniffed at the food. They smelt better than the stuff she buys for lunch and dinner. Who cooked all of these things? As hard as her imagination tried, Roviel found it impossible to see any one of the Reikai Tentai cook. Kurama, perhaps. But the fox spend almost all of his waking moments in school.

"If you were wondering, my kasan and Keiko both offered to help with the food. Botan offered, of cause, but we found a way to discourage her from coming into the kitchen by giving her various errands to run for us."

She raised one brow.

"Your kasan cooked for this party? Does she even know Yuki?"

"No, but if you care to remember, she does know you. If I remembered correctly, you had to cover up my absence from home. She found you to be a polite girl. I had said that this celebration was for you and one of your friends, and so she took it into her mind to cook something for you and Yuki."

She could remember some of what the kitsune was saying. Yes, that time when the red-head got knocked out and was in need of some serious medical treatment, she was the one who drew the short stick and had to tell the worried mother that her son was on a regional science competition. Polite, aye? The corner of her lips twitched. Humans can be so gullible, a few timely smiles, some agreeing murmurs, couple of kind comments. Didn't he tell her? Oh he must have forgotten, after all, it is hard keeping track of all these things while getting a near perfect grade.

"You know, it's actually more than a year since I first met your guys. Two month, to be precise. So why are we having an anniversary now?"

Kurama laughedat this, one hand to the back of his head.

"Yes well, we came up with the idea two weeks ago, and since Kuwabara could not wait until next year..."

"YUKINA!!!!! I'M COMING, MY LOVE!!!!!"

Even though he was at the bottom of the steps, Kuwabara's loud proclamation was still able to reach them. Wincing at the voice, her inspection of the food was cut short as two more figures came into the room. One ran into the warm room, shaking her pink hair free of white snowflakes before running over to greet Roviel and Kurama. The other had to duck for the door, silver furred ears scraping the wooden beam. Grinning that Yuki and Youko finally arrived, Roviel poked at one fork.

"Now all we are missing is Yus..."

"KUWABARA GET OFF ME YOU GREAT IDIOT!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU PUSHED ME URAMESHI!"

"YEA, WELL IT'S YOUR IDEA TO RACE TO THE TOP YOU GREAT..."

"Hn, humans are such imbeciles."

The sulky voice of Hiei drifted from the wooden rafters. Shaking her head, Roviel chuckled. It doesn't matter if her memory's getting a bit clouded, as long as she remembers moments like this.


	12. Just One of Those Days

Riz:

Lo people! I'm back! Sorry for the long absence, but I'm working on the Quizilla version of this fanfic. The quiz series will be somewhat different from my fanfic, cause Yuki's owner (Who I'm now calling Snow-Rabbit), is the one doing the editing, and she's a more traditional fanfic/quizilla reader.

To Omasuoniwabanshi: What do you mean scrape that last chapter? It's right here! But then again, when I was putting up chapter ten and the notice, I had this major headache and really can't remember what I wrote. Sorry if I made you confused. Yuki and Youko's chapter is 9, by the way.

What else? Oh, yes! I'm sooooo happy that you love my little world! It's flat, and around the edges are these magnetic ripples that prevent things from going outside. Sort of like Golden Sun's world, but with things like Northern Lights surrounding the borders instead of waterfalls.

To Asilin Kheldarson: Chapter Nine, or Yuki and Youko's chapter, is half a year since the start of the fanfic. This is eight month after that, so technically a year and two month. I really couldn't think of anything to write for what happened between all the month; it's just beenschool, training on Yuki's part, some boring missions, and random poking (on Roviel's part). So I got stumped.

From Before: Yes, I've read David Edding's books, but sadly only three, and it's like four years ago or something. I love the "why me"s as well. Lol1

To Mary Tyson: Really? Awww... But I had to do that; it plays a pretty big part in Act Two, which, by the way, is where my dream actually starts. So all of this is just a prelude to the main thing. Pretty long prelude... Sweatdrop

From Before: You know, most of Roviel's remarks works strangly well in real life. Next time some Noob comes upand starts to annoy you, just say the fangirl's comment.(Do it quickly) When they ask you what you just said, then say the second part. It's sooo funny, watching their faces while they try to understand the sentences and wonder if you _actually _insulted them or not.

Riz:

Here it is, finally! Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter Eleven: ...Just One of Those Days...

Carefully teasing the half finished bowl from under Yuki's unsuspecting nose, Roviel dug into the ice-cream. Mm, ice-cream; glorious glorious ice-cream... Scraping the bowl clean, the amber eyes wandered down the two tables, sunlit gaze alert for any other unguarded desserts. Yusuke's was long gone, and apparently sweet tooth runs in the family, for not a single hint of sugar could be found anywhere near the fox thief or his human counterpart. Only two were left, one was Yukina's while the other was currently within the evil aura that always surrounded Hiei. No way was she going to stoop to such levels as to swipe something from Yukina. And besides, the ice okami had already given her share to Kuwabara, whose temperature had rose high enough to melt the ice-cream to a pool of white water. So like the boy, to accept a gift and then promptly forget about it ever existed.

Which left only one option. Leaning back in her chair, Roviel peered at the fire apparition from behind loose locks of raven blue. Out of everybody associated with the Reikai Tentai, the youngsters included, the black clothed figure was perhaps the only one who she hadn't really gotten to know about. Hell, she's been in Koenma's office more times than she had stayed in the same room as Hiei, and that's a big thing, considering that the brat only asked for her assistance as a last resort. She watched him now, arms crossed against his chest, cold eyes of blood rubies glaring at the blushing Kuwabara in soul-wincing iciness. It must have taken as much self-control as the fire apparition could muster to stop him from chocking that idiotic grin from the boy's face.

"Hey look! Still one bowl left!"

Having spotted Hiei's untouched dessert, Yusuke pointed at the full bowl.

"Well if Hiei isn't going to have that, no point leaving it to waste. I bags it!"

Hearing this, Kurama smiled, the kitsune's forest green eyes also slid down the table to where his friend's finger pointed at.

"I am afraid that I can not allow you to do so. Such an overdose of sugar would be very unhealthy for you. Thus I shall sacrifice my own wellbeing and eat that."

Hearing that, Kuwabara glowered at the red-head.

"You're just saying that, Kurama, so you can get the last share."

Taking in a deep breath, the boy thumped his inflated chest.

"Since Yukina have so kindly given me her share, I will retrieve Hiei's bowl and give it to my sweet love, to show her my eternal love."

Biting down on a growing grin, silver rippled as Youko shook his head in a sigh.

"Such a fine lady as Yukina deserves something much better than the simple milk and sugar combination. Kuwabara, why don't you give her flowers instead, or something more suited to her beautiful personality?"

"Oh shut up Youko. Yukina understands me, even you fox doesn't. I'm taking that bowl, and I dare anyone to try and stop me!"

A sudden crash thundered through the room, and a very angry Yuki banged her fist down on the table again, shaking the cutlery again.

"THAT'S IT! I DON'T KNOW WHO TOOK MY HALF-EATEN BOWL, BUT IF SOMEONE DOESN'T OWE UP IN THE NEXT THREE SECONDS, HIEI'S SHARE IS MINE!"

"Come on Yuki. It's only half a bowl. And aren't girls suppose to lay off the sugar things, it makes them look fat."

"ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT YUSUKE?"

"I do not think that is what Yusuke intended to say. He is just worried about your figure, that's all."

"YOU SAYING MY FIGURE LOOK BAD?"

"Forgive my human counterpart. Kurama is not the type to insult someone so readily. Perhaps you should calm down now."

"I AM CALM!"

So engaging was this absurd argument that everyone had quite forgotten about Hiei. Sparing a glance at the short apparition, Roviel raised one brow as soft snores drifted from the black slumbering form. To be able to fall asleep at a time like this, amazing, truly amazing.

The tables shook as something crashed into it, hard. Yuki was now chasing after Youko, screaming something incomprehensible. Seeing this opportunity, Kuwabara made a running dive for the ice-cream, which was a pretty stupid thing to do, considering the boy was about three seats down from his planned destination. But a truly courageous act, never the less. Seeing this sudden attack, Yusuke tackled into Kuwabara, this sending both of them falling onto the table. Dishes flew, knives soaring through the air and embedding themselves deep into the wooden floor. Something arched into the air, a china bowl loaded with melting ice-cream. It stopped, hanging in midair, before finally crashing down towards not the ground, but a certain sleeping figure's head.

When Hiei moved from his chair they never saw, but the evidence was still there. No longer sitting, Hiei gave his trademark huff as he sheathed the naked blade of his katana. The bowl, or what remained of its now hacked pieces, laid in sad dejection on the chair. Glowering at the now completely silent room, Hiei walked out, slamming the door in their face. Recovering from this sudden turn of events, Yusuke surveyed the chaotic state of the room.

"You know, Genkai's going to kill me when she sees this. Wait, I think I know just the thing for this occasion."

Trudging over to his bag, Yusuke fumbled through its contents. Standing up, the Reikai Tentai turned around, one hand holding a deck of cards while the other was full with a stack of beer cans.

"Loser drinks a can. I have more in my bag, and I think Kuwabara's bound to have brought some. So, anyone interesting in getting drunk?"

---------------------

"Dusk Mirror?"

"Lost it."

A sound of scratching pen interrupted the silent night, followed by paper shuffled.

"Firebrand Staff?"

"Broke it."

The questioning voice sighed, and muttered something inaudible into her chest.

"Fine, I'll just go down the list then. Thunder Brand?"

"Sold it."

"Angel Ring?"

"Used it."

"Ragnarok Blade ?"

"Gave it to Kurone as a present."

The sound of grinding teeth echoed in the frosted air. Sounds of druken laughter floated from the room as the boys continued their game.

"One last time. Do you by any chance still have the Book of Celestial Seven?"

"Actually, I do."

Mist grey eyes blinked at this sudden change, looking from the list of artifacts in her hand to the smirking Youko.

"Really? So, is it still working? Can I have it?"

Silver furred ears flickered as flakes of snow landed gently on them, the white gold tail twitched from side to side. Peeking out from the clouds, the moon embraced the kitsune youkai, for they were of one kin, he who also held the true essence of the night. Sneezing as a stray fluff of snow landed on his nose, Youko eyed the human girl in amusement.

"Yes, I do have it, and it's still readable, if that is what you meant. I suppose you can have it,"

The thief's words were interrupted by a very loud yell of triumph to his ear, causing him to wince.

"You can have it, but I'll have to remember where I threw it. It's been such a long time, and it didn't look interesting, so..."

Halting in her celebration, Yuki knew something bad was going to happen.

"...So? What did you do with it?"

"Well, since it looked so boring, I just dumped it somewhere with the rest of the things I didn't like. Sadly, since I had too much items to keep track of, I forgot where I put the thing."

"YOU BASTARD! COME BACK HERE AND LET ME KILL YOU!"

Crashing through the frosted trees, Yuki snarled as the occasional flicker of something white moving down the back of the temple. Damn him, playing with _her_? What did that bloody fox like seeing her blood levels rise or something? Ripping away the poor branches that happened to be in her path, Yuki felt her blood boil. If she only had her bow and arrows, _then _they'll see who plays with who. Damn, why did she have to leave them at home? Of cause, walking around the place with weapons isn't exactly what one would call normal. But she was getting so good at it...

Strange, how sniping comes to her as simple as breathing. It didn't take long until her persistent arguments of how she wanted to learn more than just hand-to-hand combat to get onto Roviel's nerves. Finally the youkai gave in, and keeping what little of her sanity intact, proceeded to teach the girl how to snipe. It was easy to see that she didn't have the stamina for the midst of battles, and the girl had good eyesight. Who knew that she had such a talent at it? So now, instead of the occasional lessons with Yusuke and Kuwabara, Yuki would be found elsewhere, improving on her already impressive skill.

The tangle of bushes suddenly stopped, snow scattered earth giving way to a plain of shimmering ice, unblemished in the moonlight. Skidding to a stop, Yuki pawed at her windblown mess of hair. Great, just great. First he insults her by saying that she's mad, then he goes and played a joke on her, then runs away, and _now _is hiding somewhere, most likely snickering at her untidy state. Crossing her arms across her chest, the girl took in one deep breath and shouted.

"YOUKO! GET YOU TAIL HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I HAVE TO COME AND FIND YOU. BECAUSE IF I DO, YOU'LL BE LOOKING FOR ANOTHER HUMAN BODY TO JUMP INTO VERY SOON!"

A soft rustle came from the tree above her, and no sign of any wind was near here. Grinning to herself, Yuki looked upwards, thinking that she had found the god-forsaken thief. Instead, a huge dump of ice cold snow greeted her, landing on her upturned face with a very satisfactory splatter. Looking down upon his victim, Youko snorted in laughter. Served her right to think that a human could ever predict what he, King of the Thieves of Makai, would do next. Landing softly, the youkai tread lightly onto the frozen layer of the pond, looking every inch perfect. Watching her spat out the snow, Youko smirked.

"I thought that you would like snow, after all, isn't that your namesake?"

Glaring at the silver haired fox, Yuki stomped towards him, skidding on the ice. Teeth grinding together, the girl felt her blood pressure rise again.

"Yea, of cause I like snow. I like winter for that matter. Let's just see how well _you_ like it when someone smashes _your _face into the frozen stuff. Wanna try?"

Avoiding her clumsy attempts to catch him, Youko slid further away. Kurone never did like the snow, the winged youkai used to spend days wrapped up shivering before the fire every time they entered some cold level of Makai. Yuki's anger reminded him of Kurone, how his friend made the same death threats when the thief logged a snowball at him. Of cause, Kurone was much more dangerous than Yuki, the wings and scythe making him much more maneuverable than some human girl running around on the ice. Twisting away from another ill-measured punch Youko jumped onto the snow covered bank.

"Just give up already. You know I'll never let you get any of the artifacts on that list, so there isn't any way you are going to become a Reikai Tentai. So why do you bother?"

Clawing her way from the ice, Yuki heaved a sigh at the obvious question.

"You know full well why. I want to go fight youkais and see what Makai is like. You have no idea how boring it's like for me, stuck in Nigenkai all the time and with these weak people around."

At times he almost forgets that she was just a human girl, still young and naive to the world. How could he explain to her the horrors of Makai, where one hint of mercy would be seen as a weakness, and a true friend comes only once in a lifetime? Every second of one's life was filled with danger, where one wrong move, one wrong word would easily signal the end.

"You are a lot like Kurone, you know. Stubborn."

Yuki glared at him, not knowing of the thief was complementing her by saying she was like his deceased best friend or saying that she was stubborn.

"You better hope that I take that as a complement, otherwise there will be a meter hole in the ground exactly your size and shape soon."

"How could that be anything but a complement? Kurone was the best friend I ever had, even closer than my human counterpart."

"Speaking of Kurama, I bet _he's _nice enough to help me become a Reikai Tentai, unlike someone I know."

"Then go and ask your boyfriend to help then, if you are so desperate to die."

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS? HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

Ears flattered in a futile attempt to escape the scream, Youko continued to tease the girl, relishing in the fun as her face became redder and redder.

"Really? I would have thought that you had an eye for him, considering how many other human girls do. And besides, I never see you screaming death threats at him."

Blistering words gathered on her tongue, ready to be shot at the fox when Yuki suddenly stopped. Of cause, he was trying to make her mad, egging her on with those ridiculous comments. Taking in two deep breaths, steel grey eyes closed for some moments, the darkness seeping into her mind and calming her temper. So, he wanted to play eh? Grinning to herself, Yuki ran one hand through her hair as she strolled towards Youko.

"My my, are we sounding jealous? But then again, I suppose it's not your fault that Kurama's personality and looks are loads better than yours. I mean, I can't imagine anyone who would want to be with a smirking, cold, arrogant, know-it-all fox whose stupid selfishness is bigger than his over-inflated ego."

There was something good about being around Roviel; one tends to learn how to insult someone and yet still make it sound good. Crossing her arms together, Yuki tilted her head towards her opponent.

"And besides, what's wrong _if _I liked Kurama? At least it would be better than falling for you. So what if you are dead rich and is like totally hot and so polite and stuff? Three seconds with you and a girl's head would explode from your love of yourself."

Hiding a grin behind his hand, thief nodded at Yuki's assault.

"Just one question girl."

"Yea?"

"Was that a compliment or an insult?"

"IT'S AN INSULT FOR GOD-SAKE! STAY THERE SO I CAN KILL YOU!"

"You know, you look so cute when you get angry."

"BASTARD!"

---------------------

Chocking on the bubbles, her vision misted further as she placed an empty beer can on her stack, forming a triple layered pyramid. Groaning at her now cloud-filled head, Roviel threw down her hand of cards.

"That's it. I'm going. Six cans of this thing is more than I can take. And besides, it's not as if the game's fair. Don't think I didn"t notice how you,"

The finger pointed at a smirking Yusuke.

"and you,"

The finger wavered at Kurama. Beside Kuwabara, Yukina laughed softly into her sleeve.

"were banding together to make me lose."

Blinking rapidly in an attempt to clear her sight, the youkai half-staggered towards the door. Behind her, Kuwabara protested at this sudden departure.

"Hey you can't go. It's not fun playing with three people, and Yukina don't know how to play. And if you go, then them two are going to be ganging up on me!"

Growling at the sign of a headache, Roviel pulled the sliding door shut and dragged her sorry self away from the temple and towards the moonlit forest. Soon the sound of laughter and the warm rays of light disappeared, swallowed up by the still tranquility of the woods. Having staggered far enough for her liking, amber eyes rolled over her surroundings in the search for a place to sit. Ah, there's one, below that tree over there. The grounds around its trunks were still bare of snow, for the great branches unfurled above had taken most of winter's breath. Dropping down on the hard ground, she leaned back, tawny orbs closing as her mind slowly calmed, chasing away the sounds and touches of life, drowning its consciousness in the biting wind and watchful night sky. It was then did Roviel realize that she wasn't alone, that someone else also occupied the space of this tree. One eye opened, a lazy inspection upwards revealed what she had suspected. Shifting so she sat more comfortably, the hooded eye closed again.

"So, you here as well?"

Hiei didn't answer. Not that she actually expected the fire apparition to. The silence dragged on, she could feel waves of pent up anger rolling off the black-clad figure. But it wasn't really anger, but some other emotion she could not identify. It wasn't a normal part of his aura, something new...

Eyes closed, she continued her half-hearted musing of this find in the calming silence when something crashed past the tree, and without a single notice of Roviel or Hiei, pelted full down the slope. Of cause, Roviel didn't need to open her eyes to figure out the source of the interruption, for the familiar voice screaming death threats down the hillside could only mean one thing, that thief had yet again baited Yuki until the girl was seeing red. They reminded her of another couple, the arguments bringing back half-solid images of some faded memory. She frowned. What is it, what is she trying to remember that seemed so familiar and yet slipping away with each passing second?

Finally she gave up, just as another cry of anger bounced through the woods. Listening to it, Roviel wondered what human the thief would pick... Taking a deep breath of the winter-scented air, one eye twitched. Ever since Yuki and Youko had passed by them, Hiei's aura had been increasing in strength, and now it was so powerful that she won't be surprised of the tree shriveled away under the fiery waves. She was just getting comfortable, and hell if she's got to move because of some of _his _problems.

"Go talk to somebody."

"What?"

"I said go talk to somebody. It's so obvious you've got some kind of trouble or other gnawing away at you, I won't be surprised if the whole city was feeling your aura right now, considering how strong it is."

The dark waves pulled away as Hiei glared at the youkai sitting below him. Heaving out a loud sigh, Roviel looked upwards at the apparition's branch.

"Go talk to Kurama or something. It's so obvious you've got a problem or something like."

This brought a sadist smirk onto his face, the ruby eyes glittering down at her.

"Look whose talking. I do not see you discussing your black-outs with them, and only an idiotic human would not have realized how serious it is."

She ignored his comment, as he did to hers. The tension grew, each trying to ignore the other's presence, trying to forget their short chat. Running one thumb down the smooth crystal hanging around her neck, Roviel sighed as she gave in. Stalemates such as this one required patience, something that she was three foot short on. Brushing some offending locks from her eyes, the youkai gazed out at the distant horizon.

"I don't know what it is, or why it's happening. My memory has been disappearing, wiped out one by one. It takes all my concentration just simply to remember where I came from. Everything before I came to this world is slipping away from me. I can't even remember my parent's names, or what my house looked like, let alone what that little pouch of strange artifacts I keep with me do."

A soft clink sounded, the muted scrape of metal against cloth and hair whispered from the base of the tree. Opening her palm, worn amber eyes gazed in weariness at the ice blue crystal, straying over the pool of gold chain shimmering white in the moonlight.

"I don't even know how I got this necklace, or why I have it. All I know is how to use it, but when I try to track down its origins, nothing comes up. I know I've always said that I despised humans, but if this memory-loss keeps up and I forget everything single thing, then soon I'll become a human."

Up in the branch, the sound of shifting drifted down to her. Although she can't see it, Roviel felt the sensation of someone glaring down at her. Crimson orbs unblinking, Hiei frowned slightly at the confession.

"Why are you telling me all this? What do you wish to achieve out if it, that I tell you my problems?"

A snort came down below, followed by Roviel's face as she looked up at him, that trademark one-sided grin of hers beaming up at him.

"No, I do not wish to "achieve" anything. And frankly, I don't even know why I'm telling you all these things. But I think that I don't know you well, that fact that it's easier to talk to a stranger than to someone you know, for you know the stranger can't judge you because they don't know you."

"How do you know I'll keep this a secret from the others?"

"I don't. But that's not the point, is it? I did not choose to tell you these things because I thought you'd be quite about them, but because I know you out of everyone, would care about my problems the least, and so won't really be bothered about them."

Up above, the silence started again. But this time it was different, the tension directed only at himself. She could almost hear the gears clicking in his head, could feel him weighting up the advantages and disadvantages. Suddenly, as if some invisible barrier cracked open, the heaviness lifted.

"I can not go to the fox about this, and before you say it, neither the detective nor orange-tops. Not that I'd ever _think _of going to that imbecile for help, even if he was the last being alive out of all the three worlds."

He shifted slightly, easing the pressure of a jutting twig.

"You'd never think that someone like me could ever get into a dilemma of this kind. I've even been able to keep a hold of myself when Yukina stood before me, offering the tear jewel in her hand. That time I knew what I had to do, but this time… Perhaps there _is _a god, one who delights in the suffering of mortals."

He laughed, bitterly, the harsh voice sawing though the serene night.

"It's strange, talking to someone else besides the fox for a change. But I can not go to him; that is too close for my liking. The detective would be dying from laughter, and I do not think the imbecile's mental capacity is large enough to comprehend such matters."

The sound of frustrated yelling reached their ears, followed by someone snickering, and then, more yelling. Looking in the direction where Yuki and Youko sounded to be, those blooded orbs narrowed with thinly veiled disgust. His hands curled, fists clenching in unconscious anger.

"The thief has been with humans for too long that he wishes to spend time with them. Has his mind gone insane? He should be with his own people, not that straggly infant of a human girl down there. I do not know what he is thinking, to willingly associate with her."

She stayed silent though all of this, not even moving a finger. Now that it's over, Roviel streched, shaking her head to clear the last of the dizziness.

"You know, aside from Kurama, I don't think anyone else would have picked up the subtlety of your speech. Really, even _I_ had to pick in detail what you were saying between the lines."

Above then, the heavens opened, scattering petals of soft iciness down upon the land. One landed on his cloak, its fragile being a pure white contrast to the rough black cloth. Gazing at it for a moment, Hiei abruptly turned his attention to Roviel.

"I've noticed that you have yet to come up with a nickname for me. So, any ideas?"

She grinned, the lips curving up in a delicate arch.

"I'm not sure yet. Shorty is a great one, but sadly it's already taken. Three-eyes, perhaps?"

He smirked.

"You are losing your touch."

Chuckling to herself, Roviel lifted one hand to brush away snowflakes on her nose.

"I know."

* * *

I think I made Hiei's secret a little bit _too _subtle. But it's not like Hiei, saying personal things upfront... So, did anyone get the secret? I certainly hope so... Personally, I'm not sure why I wrote this chapter. Perhaps just to bring out the "soft" side of Roviel and Hiei and make them get to know each other. The contrast between the two conversations, Yuki's and Roviel's, sort of brings out their personalities... Don't know...sob I'm going mental! 

Lol! Na,Ican take a lot more insanitythan that. But I've got a dilemma; what primary and secondary catergories should I put this fanfic in? That's a hard one... So, help please?


	13. Twilight, The Reality of Things

Riz:

This fanfic will be dedicated to SatAnubis116, who I have never met, but loved like my own sister...

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Twilight; The Reality of Things

The light bulb flickered in its last dying breath, gasping for what little electricity it can take in. Turning on the tap, Roviel sniffed in disgust as copper flecked water gushed out. And just when she thought life couldn't get any worse. Washing away the dirt, she checked the time on her watch. Still have ten minutes, that's enough time. No need to hurry, rea...

The sound of a crashing body shook the half-lit room, sending cracked tiles exploding on the filthy ground. Running out, she skidded around the corner, necklace in hand for any attacks. Rushing over to the platform, six still bodies met her amber gaze, each of the fallen youkais well and truly dead. Heaving a sigh of relief, Roviel glanced at her companions. The sweet scent of roses lingered in the air, no doubt the red-head's work. Standing beside the kitsune, the soft scrape of steel against wood shivered in the night air as Hiei sheathed his katana. A flash of orange caught her gaze, the Spirit Sword blinking out of existence as Kuwabara stood before his kill, the hard eyes gazing down from his emotionless face at the dead youkai. Abruptly he turned away, looking down the deserted track in cold silence. Seeing the three, the tawny eyes softened slightly. Good, no one's hurt. It was becoming increasing harder to get medical supplies, and they can't always rely of Youko... Pulling the thin gold chain down around her neck, one slim brow rose in Kurama's direction.

"Bounty hunters again?"

His eyes caught hers, the worn emerald orbs only a ghost of what they were before. Mustering up a fake smile, the red-head nodded.

"It would appear that the price of our heads have just rose by another half a million dollars. Lucky that they attacked us now, and not separately. Although no more than a high B class, they proved to be quite adapted at surprise attacks."

Shifting slightly, Hiei transferred much of his weight onto his better leg. It was a cold night, and the wind cut deep into her bones. Seeing the fire apparition's action, Roviel felt pity for the black-clad figure. If _her _bones ached, then he would be suffering now with his legs...

"The train's here."

Kuwabara's flat voice reached her ears, followed by the distant sound of the train rolling towards them. Watching him, she still find it hard to believe that only seven years ago, this soul-less man was once a young, loud, energetic boy who fell head-first into a frozen pool because he was too drunk from losing at poker. But then again, there are a lot of things she still can't believe, like...

The screech of wheels broke her thoughts, followed by the tortuous groan of the door opening. Walking into the carriage, one red-gold eye gazed at a mother and her baby, the woman now cowering in fear at the sight of the four. Seeing this, Roviel sighed. It's going to be a long ride...

---------------------

The twisted iron poked painfully into her right thigh, this earning it a smothering death-glare and the chance it be whacked off completely from the seat. Kicking away the offending piece of metal, Roviel shifted in the half-stable seat, twisted round and gazing over at Kurama, who sat quietly behind her.

"How was it? Keiko alright?"

The fox turned to her, and a faint hint of a smile flickered on his face.

"Keiko is still the same as ever; her condition has neither improved nor worsened. Jin has made sure that she is safe from any youkai out for revenge, and I can see that she's in good hands. You?"

Roviel leaned back against the train's battered seat, one amber eye turning upon the seated Kuwabara a seat to her left. She watched him, noticing how his knuckles were white with pressure as his hands tightened into fists, how the muscles around his jaws twitched ever so often.

"It was good for him. If anyone can help the boy, Yukina can. I left them together for a few hours and had a chat with Youya and Shizuru, asked them if there was anything I could help with, like food supplies and such. Turns out they had their own connections, and had enough stuff to keep those three going for some time yet."

She paused in her speech, one finger tracing a rip in the seat padding.

"It's a shame, that he can't live with them. The boy might even be healing if he was with his sister and love."

Kurama leaned forward, a small smirk on his face.

"Since when have you become so sentimental?"

"I haven't. Just that I think that it might be the only way to help him, since none of us can do anything."

Although she wasn't looking, Roviel was sure that the fox's smirk widened with her remark. Sighing, he sat back in his own seat, the sound strangely loud in the near deserted carriage. Having seen the four seat themselves earlier, all of the humans immediately ran for the other carriages, no doubt locking the doors as they went. Folding his arms across his chest, the mocking smile slipped from Kurama's face.

"I know that, we all know that. But what happens if Kuwabara suddenly goes into one of his killing rampages? I think that Yukina would be able to calm his mind down, but I do not wish to take the risk to find out if it works every time. Better leave it be."

A chill breeze pushed into the carriage, surging through shattered holes in the windows and invading the lukewarm air inside. The wind bit into her, causing the youkai to wince as she moved her arm. Normally no more than a slight pull, the numerous scars running down her shoulders and right arm tightened painfully in the cold, scraping against muscle as she rubbed the limb. Seeing her discomfort, Kurama looked out of the near destroyed window.

"A few more minutes before our stop. When you get home the fire still ought to be going, so it'll be warmer there."

She nodded slightly, a silent acknowledgement for his concern. In her mind, Roviel chuckled dryly. So much have changed, she was becoming so soft...

---------------------

The station was once again deserted and devoid of any working street lights. Both were much appreciated by the group, as they wished to attract as little attention as possible. Somewhere in the distance, the drunken laughter of some liquor filled youkai rumbled though the air, but nothing else. Standing there, Roviel pulled her grey trench coat tighter to her as she eyed the other three.

"Well? If there's no plans, then I want to go home where it's warm. Any objections?"

Kurama shrugged, the kitsune's claret locks having taken on a very wind-swept look. Hiei gave a nondescript "Hn" and glared at the clouded night sky, as if everything that has happened was its fault. Kuwabara stayed silent for a few moments, the void-like eyes staring at Roviel with blank intensity. Finally he nodded slightly, and started walking towards the direction of his house.

"There is no one here, no life, no warmth. Home is where we all belong."

Having long gotten used to the boy's now strange way of talking, Roviel let out a long breath as she watched the black shadow of his back disappearing into the night. Staring after Kuwabara, Hiei gave another "Hn" and walked away also, limping softly as he strutted away. Biting down hard on a sudden attack of the sneeze, Roviel turned one eye onto the red-head.

"Coming?"

He nodded, and soon caught up with her fast strides. They walked down the dimly lit road in silence, each alert for the tiniest hint of someone following them, the faintest flash of a metal blade. Suddenly sound of bodies crashing exploded from a alley up ahead, followed by two figures speeding out from the lane and running towards Roviel and Kurama. Tensing up, she was about to attack the two strangers when the kitsune stopped her.

"They are only humans. No doubt trying to find some food when one of them fell, causing the noise. I presume that neither of them have a Tolerated job, so they are running for the fear of being discovered."

The two bolted past her, having been too scared to notice the youkai's presence in the shadows. She watched the two human's running forms, seeing how one stumbled slightly, but resumed running the second they regained their balance. Soft footsteps before her announced that the kitsune had already walked off; his leisurely pace making her wonder how the red-head could be in this cold weather and could still walk this slowly.

Trotting after Kurama, Roviel opened her mouth to ask him the question when all went black. Or rather, the world before her faded, sucked into a infinite void of dark nothingness. Hands reached out frantically, touching and grasping onto the solid roughness of a brick wall. Leaning against the wall, Roviel forced her breathing to calm, her heart to steady. The sensation of this emptiness felt strangely familiar to her, although the youkai could not think of any other time when she had one of these black-outs. In the matter of seconds it stopped, the hollow expansion falling upon itself and allowing life to come back to her once more. Blinking at the sudden return of sight and sound, Roviel stared at her surroundings, confusion and shock evident in the tawny orbs. Finally her blank stare found the form of a very worried looking Kurama. She stood there, stared at the kitsune until he shifted under the scrutinizing. Taking a step away from the wall, Roviel gave a experimental poke at the red-head, to which he yelped and grabbed her hand.

"Roviel, are you alright? What happened just then? Did you see a black hole of any sort?"

She frowned at him, pulling back her hand and trying to sort out her thoughts.

"Yea, there's this big hole just before, and I was feeling off-balanced. Then it just went away, as quickly as it came, and then I saw _you _here, standing in Nigenkai and looking all comfortable. Where's whelp and the others? Aren't we supposed to be going on that mission Koemna gave us just then?"

Kurama winced at her loud voice and gestured frantically for her to be quieter.

"Calm down. Now tell me the last thing you remember _before _the void."

She tried to calm down, taking in deep breathes and allowing her heart to slow.

"The last thing I remember was that the brat told us to go and find the black-market dealer guy... What, did I say something wrong?"

Because as he heard the news, the kitsune's face changed from that of worry to wretched hopelessness, looking for all the world if he's just heard that from now on, he's going to be the most unlucky person on all three worlds. Groaning into his hands, the fox continued his strange actions for some time, until Roviel decided to poke him out of this miserable sight.

"Hey, what's with you? What's wrong with what I just said?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong is that the mission you remember happened almost five years ago, that's what's wrong! Great, a flashback at this time. Lucky it didn't happen while we were at the train station."

Roviel just stared at Kurama, not a single word processing through her brain.

"...Eh?"

Kurama sighed loudly, gestured her to follow him as they walked down the streets once more.

"It's like this. Around seven years ago, you started to have these memory blank-outs. Anytime, anywhere, for no apparent reason, chunks of you memory will just vanish. Sometimes it's just forgetting what you ate for breakfast, while other times _years _are washed away from your mind, like now. None of us know why this happenes to you, even the great library of Rekai holds no information of this."

She digested this, taking it in piece by tiny piece.

"So does that mean I'm losing my memory?"

"Oh by all means no. The blank-outs, what we now flashbacks, are only temporary, and once it's finished, all your lost memories returns. Although once you are out of a flashback, what happened during the blank-out will be all white for you. The longest flashback was for two weeks, we had to make you catch up on all the stuff you did while you were in the flashback."

Now she was the one sighing; the realization that one was losing bits of their memory for no evident reason or illness of any sort was not the best thing to learn, and the fact that one's missing five years of memory just isn't what the greatest of things one needed.

The night was cold, and she curled her hands together, finger interlaced to defrost them. Something brushed against her right palm, a cold hard curve running down the skin. Frowning at this, she lifted her left hand and examined this object.

It was beautiful, crafted to perfection. The length of golden ivy twisted upon itself, forming a ring of two lines, each curling and twining upon the other in life-like grace. Wanting to inspect this further, she grabbed hold of the ring and pulled.

Pain flared in her chest, biting fangs of jagged fire coursing up her body. Letting go of the ring as if it was going to bite her, Roviel grabbed a fistful of Kurama's clothing, spun him around, and shoved her left hand before his face.

"Where did I get this thing?"

It was an interesting experience, watching the kitsune's face turn from its normal color to white, then several shades of red, then white again, but this time with a slight tinge of green. Cold sweat broke out over his face, and she was sure that the red-head's wishing for the earth to swallow him up that instant. Trying and failing to pry her metal grip from his jacket, the kitsune took in a deep breath.

"It's a very complicated story. But before I tell you, please swear that you will not try to kill me when I'm done."

"Deal. Now out with it, fox."

"It's like this. Around three and a half years ago, Koenma received a letter threatening to blow up many major cities in Rekai unless all of the Reikai Tentais were to meet them at a certain castle in Makai. Not wanting to see if the threat was real, all of us went to the arranged spot, hoping to capture the person behind all this. What we found was something very different from what we all expected."

Kurama cleared his throat nervously and glanced down at her right hand. Lifting one brow, Roviel let go of her death-grip on his clothing, arms now crossed across her chest.

"...And?"

"The enemy was an old acquaintance of Youkos'. It seemed that they had a...misunderstanding, and Youko left her without a word. The letter was just to make Youko come to her so she could get her revenge for being left behind. But unfortunately, the thief decided at the last minute not to come with us, and so when the youkai saw that there was a certain person missing, she was furious..."

-----------------------

"_Kurama, are you alright? Don't move, I'll take care of this bitch._"

_Yusuke charged at the youkai, only to stop dead in his tracks as she pressed her katana hard against Kurama's throat._

"_Make one move and he'll be dead in seconds. Don't worry, I have no intention to kill any of you, I just want to fulfill my revenge against Youko._"

_Roviel snorted at this, and beside her, Kuwabara smirked._

"_I don't know how stupid you are lady; Youko's not here, or are you blind?_"

_The youkai grinned at this, and with one hand still holding the blade to Kurama's throat, pulled out two small rings with her other hand. Kissing her captive's cheek gently, she slid one of the rings onto his left hand. A dim glow pulsed from the metal for a moment before fading to become just an ordinary ring. Holding the remaining ring in her hand, the youkai laughed._

"_Yes, my dear Youko is not here, but his human is. To me, knowing that this boy here, one who had not long ago housed the great thief, is taking the fox's punishment for him is enough to satisfy my anger. Now, before I leave, let me explain what I have planned. You see, these are not ordinary rings, once one is worn, the other must be on another person's finger within five minutes, or the wearer dies. Once put on, a curse is activated. This means that if one of the wearer goes off with another person, then both the wearers will die from the curse. If one tried to remove the rings by any means, then they will suffer extreme pain, one that if continued, will take their life. The curse will only be released if one or both of the wearers die._

_I designed both the rings and the curse myself, hoping to teach Youko a lesson on his past mistake with me. But since he's not here, I'll have to use this human instead. Oh, and did I mention that it's already been four minutes since the boy's worn the ring? One more minute without someone else taking up the other end of the curse, and he's going to die. Bye._"

_And with that she disappeared, blinked out from the room. The ring that was in her hand fell to the stone floor, clattering down the pavement and rolling to a stop before Yusuke. Gawking down at the ring, Yusuke's stare moved from the ring to Kurama, who was now in a very bad shade of white, then back to the ring again._

"_Quick people, someone take that ring!_"

"_Yea, but who?_"

_Edging away from the cursed jewelry, Kuwabara bumped into Roviel. Turning, his face went from fright to happiness. Turning around, the boy yelled at Yusuke and Hiei, while pointing a finger at the only female member of their team._

"_Hey guys, I think I got the answer!_"

_All three heads snapped towards her; Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei. Each stared at her for a split second, before sheer delight lit each of their faces. Staring at her team, Roviel could not understand why they were all staring at her and looking so happy, that was, until Yusuke gingerly picked up the ring and held it out to her. Then it struck her..._

"_You've got to be joking..._"

-------------------------

She had promised not to kill him before, but the burning desire to throttle the kitsune surged up her, waves of raw anger pelting against her skull. She did not scream, but instead whispered in a deadly hiss at the red-head.

"So now I have to be stuck with you for the rest of this life?"

"Yes."

"Why couldn't you just die back there?"

"You put the ring on with free will."

"Couldn't Koemna take the curse off then?"

"Unfortunately no."

"Yea well, why me?"

He frowned at the question.

"Why do you mean?"

"WHY ME YOU BLOODY IDIOT!"

"Calm down, please."

"YOU TRY TO CALM DOWN WHEN YOU ARE IN MY BOOTS!"

"Hush, people are going to hear you."

"DO I LOOK AS I CARE?"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!"

Glowering at the now seriously mad Kurama, Roviel breathed hard through her nose.

"Fine, just tell me why you couldn't go and be stuck with someone else. Like Hieifor example."

Kurama's jaws hung open for a moment, his mouth trying to make sound come out. In the end he succeeded, yelling so loud that it would have make Yuki proud.

"DO I LOOK GAY TO YOU?"

The corner of her lips twitched, and she bit down on the fast widening grin. Even in times like this, her sense of dark humor was still there.

"Well, now that you mentioned it, there was the time..."

"AGH! WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER?"

It's a rare sight, the kitsunebeing mad. But when he does, Roviel have learned that even the most reasonable of words would not get through his brain, and that the only way for him to calm down was to stay silent. Sadly, that was something she could not do. And so Roviel ran after him, a crooked grin playing upon her face as all thoughts of the ring forgotten in her attempt to enrage the red-head further with yet more comments concerning his sexuality.

* * *

Yes, yes, I know. Kurama and Kuwabara are not themselves. There is a reason for that, you'll only find out if you keep reading. Also, my problem with this fanfic still exist. What genres do I put it in? Someone, anyone, HELP!!!!


	14. Midnight Sunrise, Questions and Answers

To Asilin Kheldarson: Si-Fi? That's a new one. I was sort of thinking angst, but once Act Three starts, it's going to be more humor and action and slight romance than anything else. sigh I guess I'll just change the catergory with each new chapter I put out.

WARNING!!!!

If you are the type of reader who like to have their characters whole, health, and most importantly, ALIVE, then please take care reading this chapter. Better not to read it at all. But IF you do, and hate it, then don't come flaming to me; I've already have this warning up, so it's none of my business if you don't like what you read.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Midnight Sunrise; Questions and Answers

The water rippled as the pebble struck, running out in delicate waves, lapping against the gravel shore. Picking up another small rock, amber orbs gazed into the dark waters. The stone rested in her palm, fingers tracing the dents and edges of the rock. A breeze picked up, carrying in it a faint hint of late blooming rose. Her lips twitched softly, well, at least it's better than the stench of petrol or waste or like. Leaning back against the ancient trunk of a oak, she glanced over at the kitsune. After their little "conversation" over his, um... preference, Roviel proceeded to ask the red-head to fill her in on everything that have happened in the past five years. He didn't answer, but took her on a trip around the city.

The startling changes swamped her senses. Gone the cars and night-life. No longer did shops stay open late into the night, or how party-goers crowded the streets. Instead, it was deserted. The shops, or what's left of them, were barred with wood and metal. But that didn't do them any good, for nearly all of the shops looked as if a stampede of bulls had passed through, the walls long crumbled and their contents scattered and trampled.

Cars littered the street, those metal machines that she used to despise so much. There they lay, sad remains shattered and strewn carelessly across the roads. Some were still standing, but the absence of windows, doors and most of their interiors made them a pitiful sight. It would have been better if someone had just stacked all these pieces somewhere in one large heap. But here they stood, a sad reminder of what they once were, how much they were loved.

But all these were nothing compared to the city itself. Once tall and magnificent, it now was nothing more than half-collapsed rubble not much different to some places she's seen in Makai. Only a few houses and apartments stood, many showing signs of numerous repairs. Lights flickered through half-shattered windows, many taken on a more fiery appearance than any electric powered light-bulb.

But even more amazing was the fact that youkais were everywhere. They met two, the pair drunk and roaming the streets, roaring with laughter as they smashed their way through what's left of a shopping mall. They hid in the shadows until the youkais passed, a rose in Kurama's hand and a hard look on his face as he pinned her to the wall. It was not until the pair was well and truly gone did Kurama release his grip on Roviel. Confused, she opened her mouth, but he shook his head, and gestured for them to keep walking.

They kept walking, each turn assaulting her with yet more images of destruction and the presence of youkais. Finally they stopped, the two standing before a duck pond in a public park. He stood behind her, gazing up at the sky while she threw stones into the pond. Finally she stopped this meaningless exercise, twirling round and glaring Kurama, narrowed orbs of sun-dipped fawn keeping their hold on those eyes of summer green.

"What happened? Why is there youkais running round on Nigenkai? Where are all the people? Why did you take me on the trip? Tell me!"

---------------------

He looked at her now, looked and saw the confused anger in those dawning gaze. It's been a long time since he remembered seeing any true emotion in her eyes. But then again, that was perhaps true for all of them. In a way, he was glad that she had a flashback, glad that, even for a tiny moment in her life, Roviel had forgotten that incident.

"Well? I'm waiting!"

Still he did not answer, but turned and started to walk off again. She caught up with his easy enough, and continued to glare at him.

"Where are you taking me now? Better not be some crap-hole like this place again!"

"Actually, I thought it would be nice if we returned home."

"...Oh..."

They walked in silence, her footsteps sound behind his. He grinned at this. Since when did Roviel ever walk behind anybody? My, life _has _changed...

"There are no more buses, so I'm afraid we will have to walk back. I apologize for this."

He's blabbering now, talking nonsense. But it's so hard to say, to tell her...

"The youkais destroyed more or less all the transportations. Only the trains, boats and planes were left. They are for the lower class youkais, ones who can't run across the continent without rest or fly over the ocean to another country."

Up in one of the windows, a light went out, and a quite sobbing reached their ears.

"A strange truce is made on the transportations. Humans and youkais can settle on the one plane or boat, and neither race can harm another. Perhaps it's the fact that youkais can't be bothered to learn how to operate the machines, and so need humans to make it work for them. But still... it's never safe."

He stopped for a moment, listening back to Roviel, sharp ears trying to catch any hint of emotion. Gaining nothing, he began talking again.

"They came all suddenly, even Reikai couldn't stop them. But then again, at that time Reikai had their hands full with the revolute in Makai. In two hours the United Nations called a official state of emergency. Within the first 24 hours, Nigenkai had surrendered to the youkai onslaught. It happened so fast that no one had time to react. Or that's what I heard from Youko and Yuki. I wasn't there, none of us was. We were on that mission..."

He turned a corner, noticing out of the corner of his eye that the pile of rubble was once Meiou High, his school.

"It started normal enough; two years ago there was a disturbance in one of the levels of Makai. Huge explosions were noted as well as a sudden increase in Youki. Koenma sent all of us there. Youko didn't come, but I don't think I needed to tell you that. Yuki on the other hand was almost screaming to be allowed to go. She argued that it was not in the least dangerous, and that the whole of Reikai Tentai would be accompanying her. It was a very promising argument, that's for sure. But in the end she was still not allowed to go... Now I'm glad that she didn't go, didn't experience..."

His steps slowed, allowing Roviel her catch up with the kitsune. But she didn't pass him, instead shortened her steps so that they were nearly, but not quite, side by side. He understood her meaning. _I am here, listening. Please do go on, but only if you wish._ Who would have though that she could be courteous?

"We went over to the place, finding that the source of the disturbance was in an underwater cave. It was like a maze down there, and if it wasn't for Kuwabara's sensing skills I do not think we would have reached our destination..."

---------------------

_They walked in, the five of them alert for any hint of danger. The cave was large, gigantic even. They've been walking for three hours to get this far, to the center of the underwater cave. It was quiet, no sound whatsoever. The occasional drip of water mingled with the sound of breathing filled the ear, too loud against the dense stillness. Sand crunched underfoot, gravel grinding against each other beneath the pressure._

_Suddenly the lights came, dazzling brightness that swarmed into the cavern. Kuwabara yelped at the light blinded his eyes. Yusuke swore, but then again, what could one expect from _him_? The other three acted upon instinct, eyes closed until they adjusted while listened attentively for any sound of movement._

"_My my my. Trespassers are we? And human too! Oh dear, what has Makai become these days, to allow _humans _walk here._"

_A figure walked out from the shadows, stepping gracefully around the group. She, for there was no doubt the youkai was a female, inspected each of the Reikai Tentai with a bored eye. Suddenly she stopped, sniffing in disdain at what she saw. One elegant hand rose to tuck strands of silver streaked hair behind one ear while the other rose to her mouth as she covered a fake yawn._

_Hiei growled at this, one hand to the hilt of his katana as his knees bent for the attack. But Yusuke beat the fire apparition to it as a huge ball of Reiki hurdled towards the strange youkai. Well considering he's the King-In-Waiting for one third of Makai, obviously he's gotten stronger than back in high school_

_She didn't move from her spot, inspecting her filed nails as the attack shot towards her. Just as it looked as if she was about to be consumed by the Reiki, the youkai raised one hand and simply _swatted _at the attack. It turned, crashing to the wall to her right and sending blocks of mineral rich rock flying through the air. Heaving an exaggerated sigh, the youkai gazed over at them with her lavender-blue eyes._

"_Such rudeness, charging into someone else's residence without a hint of apology, and then attacking the host? Is this how everybody is like now days? I know I have been gone for over twelve millenniums, but this sort of treatment is unspeakable!_"

_Only Hiei and Kurama were listening to her speech, the other three simply gawked at the three meter wide hole Yusuke's Spirit Gun had created. Ever since becoming the official heir to one third of Makai, Yusuke had been training day and night. His powers had grown at an enormous rate and could _almost_ compare to that of the three rulers._

_But she blocked the hit, a hit that would have been dangerous even for an S class youkai. But this youkai, this strange female, had simply flicked it away as if it was nothing more than some annoying insect. How was that possible?_

"_My dear, I heard a sound of crashing. Are you hurt?_"

_Another youkai appeared, this one blinking into existence with the speed of the wind. As fast as Hiei? Most likely..._

_While the female looked every inch as dangerous and deadly as a sleeping feline, her male counterpart could not be more different. He stood there, bold and outright, a rapier clear by his side and several daggers hanging off his belt. Teal green orbs glared at them, taking in and judging each of the intruders. Finally he spoke up._

"_Why are you here? I sense a human with much power, three youkais, and another human. But this one has both Youki and Reiki._"

_At this point he glared at them, Yusuke in particular._

"_You are from Reikai, are you not? Only someone who have greeted death and come back is able to tap into both Youki and Reiki. Does that mean you work for Reikai, for the bastard Enma-sama and whoever is his heir? Speak!_"

_Roviel winced at the loud yell. The cave was large and spacious, not to mention made entirely out of stone. Sound tend to bounce here... Yusuke grinned while Kuwabara cracked his knuckles. Hiei glared at the two in his usual stony silence and Kurama retained the customary coolness of the kitsune's. Rolling his neck in circles, the toushin nodded at the male youkai._

"_Yea, we help them. I'm a Reikai Tentai, and so is my team. You got a problem with that?_"

_Apparently he did, for he charged at them, a dirk and kris drawn from his belt and were clutched tight in his hands. They were prepared, and were able to move out of his way, just. He was fast, Hiei fast. Skidding to a stop, Roviel glared at the nearest person, who happened to be Kurama._

"_Who the bloody hell are they? She blocked Yusuke's attack with one hand and he's as fast, if not faster, than Hiei! I thought Koenma said that this was an easy mission!_"

_Hearing this, the female laughed, a shivering chime of crystals twinkling through the air._

"_Oh dear me. You do not know us, and yet you still came here? Well, I suppose it would be terribly rude of us if we were to let you die without even knowing why. Let me introduce us. I am Chiko, and Hatoro there is my mate..._"

---------------------

"It was later, much later, when we found out the truth of the matter. Chiko and Hatoro were youkais who existed twelve thousand years ago. Back then, the power of youkais were unimaginable. An S class to us would be nothing more than a mere C to them, low B at best. And those two were the strongest of their time. Back then, Hatoro had conquered nearly all of the levels of Makai, planning to unite all tribes and clans under his rule. He might have been strict and harsh, but no one could call him cruel. As it was, Hatoro was painfully fair, down to the last hair. Of cause, when one person became more powerful, things such as assassinations and political backstabbing are inevitable. Chiko took care of that, she was in the dark pulling the political strings while Hatoro commanded the light, ordering the more military half of their empire. They made a great pair, perfect even. But just when it was going so well, things came apart.

For you see, Reikai knew of Hatoro and Chiko's plans and they were afraid. The whole reason Reikai had been able to keep Makai in relative control was the fact that all the youkais were scattered, loyal to a selected few and no one else. If Hatoro manage to unite all of Makai under him, then Reikai would not stand a chance if he decides to attack. And so Reikai though up of a plan to eliminate this horrifying menace.

I do not know how Reikai managed to capture both Chiko and Hatoro, for it was top secret information of the highest kind, one that is not allowed to be written or recorded, but remembered in one's head. But in the end Reikai succeeded, managing to imprison the pair in an eternal coma, their bodies buried in a ruin where Time stood almost still. Enma-sama did not have the strength to kill both of them, for their powers could nearly rival that of the gods. But what he could do was to give his own life in order to bind theirs. And so they slept, bound under the spell where time stopped, and stayed there for over twelve thousand years.

The full reason why the spell was broken is still unknown. Theories that the recent disturbances with the barriers between worlds might have affected the time barrier around the ruin, making it weaker. But who knows. Koenma never told us this, he did not know until it was too late. So we went there into the cave, not knowing what we were up against."

---------------------

"_Spirit Gun!_"

_A massive ball of blue Reiki blasted at its target, who dodged it with ease. Landing lightly on the ground, Hatoro turned just as the flash of a naked blade cut down upon his. Baring his fangs in a silent snarl, Hiei jumped back from his failed attack, crouching low before rushing off again. While Hatoro's attention was on Hiei, Yusuke charged suddenly from the side, right fist aimed at the youkai's face. All he hit was empty air. Stumbling, Yusuke turned, eyes wild as he tired to find... There, behind him! He reacted, turning to block the punch. But the toushin was far too slow..._

_If the reader thought that Hiei and Yusuke were having a hard time, then perhaps they should turn their attention upon the remaining three members of the Reikai Tentai, who were finding it extremely difficult to land a hit upon their target. Growling in frustration, Kuwabara charged once again at Chiko._

"_Spirit Sword... BITCH! LET GO!_"

_His blade came crashing down, only to be stopped by her hand. Swearing and yelling, Kuwabara strained as he tried to pull his blade out. Seeing this chance, Roviel ran forward, Youki gathered in her palm as she jumped in for a hit._

"_I'll let you go then, if that's what you wish._"

_Chiko shrugged, tossing Kuwabara by his sword towards Roviel. She dodged the boy, but this action caused her to lose precious momentum. Landing, she dared a glance back at the orange-top and winced. He had gone through several thick stone walls, and laid unconscious many meters away. Damn it all, they need to win, and fast._

_Breathing fast, one amber eye caught a movement to her right. Kurama was in place, some feet behind Chiko with his Rose Whip ready. He glanced at her, and she blinked in response. Ready... Set..._

_Roviel pounced at Chiko, glaive aimed at her throat. She responded automatically, hand rising to block... Only to fall short. Behind her, Kurama pulled against his Rose Whip, which was secured tightly round both of Chiko's arms. Roviel grinned, glaive raised for that final hit._

---------------------

The streets here seemed familiar to her, as if she's walked them before. Strange... But she did not think about that, her mind pondering over what Kurama had just said. She still could not believe it, that there were youkais that powerful...

"What happened next?"

She spoke for the first time since he began this story. Kurama continued his slow pace, eyes glued to the ground. Finally, some sign that Roviel wanted to know more, activity wanted to know. He was lost whether to tell her or not, not wanting to spoil what little time she had, totally oblivious to that mission. But now, since she asked, he could continue tell her the whole story without feeling guilty. Somewhere deep down, a part of him grieved over this decision, knowing just how selfish he had become, how self-centered and cold and unfeeling he's become, knowing that it was just another excuse to lay the blame on someone else...

"We were so naïve, thinking that we could defeat them. How could someone even think that, when we were barely keeping up with them when they weren't even using their Youki? In the end, we lost, all five of us falling unconscious. When we woke, each of us was in chained to a dungeon by ourselves, with hoards of youkai who wanted our blood.

It was not Hatoro or Chiko's doing, they simply gave us to those under them, many of which knew us as the Reikai Tentai. I was never sure who was in charge of us, but whoever is was, they made sure to keep us alive just enough so that we could feel pain."

Silver light bathed down from above, the heavens embracing him within her soft arms. She kissed him, her misted lips lingering over the soft red locks, kissing away the pain of the past...

"I do not know how long it was; the notion of day and night could not be found in the caves. And although broken, the spell of Time still lingered within the halls, so that one day in Nigenkai or Makai could be as long as three month inside. To me, every second felt like eternity, every moment of living a horrible agony that lasted longer than infinity. In the end, I gave up. Gave up hoping that somehow we would escape, gave up thinking that this was going to turn out alright, and gave up trying to live. But we were saved, by the most unlikely of person.

We were in different places, chained to different parts of the cave and so had no way of communication. Whoever organized our days there must have known us well. The treatment they dealt out to each person was... personalized. To Hiei, they broke his legs. Pulled the bones out of their sockets and literally smashed them. He's healed, but will never able to run faster than a normal human's speed. What they did to Kuwabara, none of us ever found out. But it was not physical, for scars or wounds were discovered on him. I suspect they poisoned his mind, tainted it with dark words and blooded images that seeped into his mind and soul. In the end he went mad, charging out of his prison and ripping apart anything that stood in his way with his bare hands. Even to this day I thank Inari-sama that Kuwabara retained at least _some _sanity to recognize and help us back then.

Hearing all the commotion, Chiko and Hatoro came and found that we were escaping. Kuwabara tried to attack them, but he was knocked unconscious with one punch. We were nearly dead, all of us, and were prepared for the worst. Then Yusuke stepped in.

He grinned at us, placed himself in Hatoro's path and turned to face us. He said that no way was he going to die, cause he's done that too many times and all the paperwork were killing him, again. And beside, is he dies then he's positive that his "old man" Raizen, would make sure that his heir is revived. So he wants us to run while we can, and make sure to tell Keiko to wait for him.

Everyone made mistakes at least once in their life. Yusuke just made a bit more than most people. But even his luck could not stretch so far so many times. Those that survived the fight between Hatoro and Yusuke remembered it as clearly as if it had just happened. Although he was known as a Reikai Tentai, Yusuke earned the respect of those who saw his final battle."

---------------------

He stopped talking suddenly, halting in front of what appeared to be a odd patch of jungle. Having been fully absorbed in the recount, Roviel crashed into the kitsune. Groaning and rubbing a bruise, she raised one brow at the greenery.

"Where are we?"

To this Kurama smiled, a faint turn of the lips that nearly, but not quite, reflected in his worn eyes.

"This is your house, of cause. Follow me."

And so she followed the fox, walking behind him as the vines and leaf drew back, fanged tentacles unraveling from flesh-eating traps who also gave way to the two. Following the path, Roviel was somewhat surprised when a very familiar looking door greeted her. Behind them, their path closed, deadly and exotic plants returning to their previous positions.

"Why does it look like the apartment building I live in?"

She wasn't sure for the lack of moonlight under the canopy made it hard to see, but for a moment she thought Kurama smirked at her.

"Because this _is _the apartment building you live in. Except now you are the full owner of the whole building."

She frowned. Since when have the kitsune become such a mocking person? Was it because of the mission? Speaking of the mission...

"So... did Yusuke get revived, like he said he would?"

The smirk faded from his face. Turning, Kurama gazed into the shadowy depth of the jungle.

"Yusuke died that day, and his death will be remembered forever in the history of Makai and Reikai. Having escaped, our first priority was to stay alive. Contacting Reikai was much harder than we expected, and by the time we were able to get to Reikai, two weeks had passed. There, Botan told us the news.

After defeating Yusuke, Hatoro went to seek out the three lords of Makai. For the first time in history, the three Makai lords came together and agreed upon a single thing; to defeat Chiko and Hatoro. All three's forces were sent; Raizen's, Mukuro's and Yomi's. It's been two weeks, and neither side seemed to be winning. Reikai had already send forces in with the thought of defeating Hatoro rather than the lords.

But even the three lord's combined efforts did not win. Finally it came to a showdown; Hatoro and Chiko against Raizen, Mukuro and Yomi. It was a close draw, but in the end Hatoro and Chiko came out victorious.

Without any leader in Makai, the freelance youkais went crazy. Word had gotten out that Reikai had focused all of their fight powers on Hatoro. With that the youkais immediately went after the barrier between Nigenkai and Makai. The lower classes went through first, a slow and steady stream that slid under Reikai's notice. When Reikai had discovered this, it was already too late.

After the fight with the lords of Makai, both Hatoro and Chiko were severally wounded. It was then that Koenma made the ultimate sacrifice. He had felt that everything that happened was his fault, that every death, every lost soul was caused by his mistake for not giving us enough information. And so while both Hatoro and Chiko were down, Koenma did what his ancestor did twelve millenniums ago.

With Koenma and the Makai lords gone, Yusuke's soul was left in Enma-sama's grace. No matter how everyone pleaded, no matter how everyone begged, Enma-sama did not allow Yusuke to be born again."

---------------------

The tea smoked lightly, its fragrant scent rose into the air. Sipping the jasmine tea, Roviel turned one eye onto Kurama. The kitsune sat before the fireplace, emerald orbs gazing into the fire. She gazed at his still form for some time, orbs of soft amber absorbing the scene before her. Suddenly he turned, breaking the tranquil silence of the room. Seeing that she was looking at him, the red-head managed a grin.

"What?"

She shook her head, locks of colbat black falling across her vision.

"Nothing. I just can't believe it, that's all."

He didn't respond to her, for similar thoughts of his own were lingering in his mind only moments before. Who would ever have thought, that they would end this way?

"Don't tell me we have to share a bedroom."

"...Pardon?"

One sunlit eye glared at him, its hooded stare unwavering.

"You know full well what I mean fox. I still haven't gotten over the ring factor yet, and if you are going to tell me that I have to sleep in the same room as you..."

Seeing her angry brought memories back to him. Memories of the first time they met, her bewildered and punching the living daylights out of Yusuke. During school, how a single glare from her and his usual fan group would be running in the other direction. His kasan even, when he got back from the "regional competition." only to find Roviel there, chatting with his mother as if making a white lie and talking to other people's family was something the off-world youkai did everyday of her life.

Realizing that he was just sitting there with a faint grin on his face and looking very suspicious, Kurama immediately spoke up.

"No, no. There is no need for you to worry. I have my own study room and bedroom, the same to you. After all, there are six apartments in this building. Although I should add that my bedroom is in the same apartment as yours... for safety reasons, of cause."

He added the last bit hurriedly, for he saw her right eye twitch. She continued her glaring for some time, but finally ended her scrutinizing.

"Fine. But I warn you kitsune, anything strange and I'll be sure to make your death long and painful."

He nodded at this. No matter what time, what world, there are just some things that never change...

* * *

Still a little confused? If so, then review and tell me which parts you don't get and I'll be happy to explain in full detail. Till the next chapter then!


	15. Act Two: Moonlight Symphony

Riz:

I'm not sure where to put this. It isn't part of the fanfic. I was having this way bad migrain when it suddenly popped up. So I suppose this is a side-story, almost.

* * *

Act Two: Moonlight Symphony 

"Kurama?"

He looked over at her figure sitting beside him under the heaven's light, legs outstretched. It is rare, her calling them by their names, even in near-death situations.

"Hm?"

She didn't turn, and continued gazing at the infinite darkness above.

"You've changed."

Laying on the apartment's rooftop, Kurama closed his eye.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem... older, colder, more distant..."

Below them the forest of plants swayed in the gentle breeze, leaves shivering against the wind.

"If you haven't noticed, it _has _been five years. Even for a youkai that is plenty if time to grow more mature."

Her lips twitched.

"_And _you've become more sarcastic."

"What do you expect from someone who is forced to live with _you _for over three years?"

Now _that _one hurt. She grinned at this, letting the cynical humor of it all sink in. But the smile soon faded.

"What happened, Kurama? What made you change?"

She heard him shift, felt his body sit up from the tiles. The moon was strangely bright tonight, its graceful light chasing away almost all shadows...

"I don't know. Perhaps it's living here and remembering what it all used to be. Perhaps it's leaving Yusuke back there, knowing that he was going to die and still leaving him. Perhaps it's seeing everyone's pain and sorrow but can't do a single thing to help."

...Almost...

Sitting up, Kurama spread his hands before him, a near unnoticeable gesture that escaped Roviel's eyes. Looking down at his outstretched hands, emerald orbs tracing the once deft fingers, lingering over where the bones had been snapped and healed slightly askew, the faint lines where jagged edges of the bones had ripped through the muscle. Finally his gaze stopped, resting upon the band of silver ivy encircling one finger. Seeing this he grinned.

"Or maybe it's the fact that I feel guilty, having ruined the rest of your life being cursed to me."

She snorted at this as amber orbs continued their journey across the night sky.

"If it was anyone else, I would have told them full-on that it's lie. But no, it _has _to be the great Kurama who said that. I do not think you know how much power you have. Your ability to make others think how innocent you are..."

He smirked at this and allowed it to pass. For what she said was the truth, he knew it. So he stayed silent, as did she. It wasn't a heavy silence, one of those where the passing of an insect was loud. This was much softer, a protective mantel cloaking them from the rest of the world and blowing all sense of awkwardness discomfort away.

"You've changed too, you know?"

"Really?"

He nodded even though she didn't look at him, her attention still focused on the starlit heavens.

"You've mellowed. Become... compassionate, even."

He felt her stiffen, all sense of ease gone. But when he raised his head, orbs of autumn looked at him, the hooded gaze crinkled in silent amusement.

"What do you expect from someone who had to live with _you _for over three years?"

He saw the corners of her lips rising, saw how behind the glee she waited, a kind patience that invited him to join in the laughter. And he did, the barrier around his emotions lifting at he smiled back, the grin quickly turning into soft chuckles. Somewhere inside he felt something loosen, as if a hole in the recess of his soul had just been filled. It felt good to laugh again, to be able to let his feelings run their course without worry. It was then did he realize just what she had been doing all this time, why she didn't protest when he also came up onto the roof and laid beside her.

"You have a rare gift. I didn't realize that what I was saying before until just then. Your ability to allow others to let out their innermost thoughts without even knowing is something that is very valuable... and very dangerous."

"So you realized what I was doing? Not many people do, so I must congratulate you."

He smiled at this, a smile that almost reached his eyes. She beamed back with her familiar crooked grin.

"You know why I was doing that, right?"

He didn't answer, laying back down beside her and gazed up at the moon. She followed his suit, returning her attention back to the sky.

"I couldn't stand it anymore, see all of this around me. It's so horrid. I feel crazy for saying this, but I actually wish for all the people and cars and noises and stink to return so that it's all normal again. I wish that _you _return to normal again. This whole night I've been watching you, and every time you spoke or moved or did anything it's like you were dead or your soul was gone. You don't know how scary that is, seeing today's you and remembering who you were before..."

A chill breeze came through. Autumn had just started and already it felt as if the place was going to freeze over. Roviel sighed at this. Well, at least it's better than getting hotter. Cold she could handle, heat no.

The air was nice, it's cool fingers lacking the scent of burning stuff and mass of bodies packed together. A tiny hint of blood laced it, but it was only a small whisper, not enough to leave any metallic taste on her tongue.

"Would you go back?"

My, that was rather sudden and somewhat random. He looked over at her.

"Pardon?"

She halted for a moment, no doubt rephrasing her question.

"If you are given the chance to go back and change all of this, would you?"

He opened his mouth, the answer on the tip of his tongue in an instant when she raised one brow at him.

"Since when have you become so hasty? I would never have expected you to be a rash one."

He frowned at this, retort harsh in his throat when he stopped suddenly, and looked down.

He never realized it until then, in all his three and half years with it on his finger. Words were carved onto the outer surface of the ring, tiny inscriptions that he never seen before. But by some strange coincidence they shone under the light of the moon, shadows from the metallic leaves accenting the script's brightness. Frowning, he peered at the words as he tried to read them. Amazement grew on his features, followed by a strange calmness. He knew now that if he was to take the ring off he would still live, for the words spoke to him of the secret of the curse. But he didn't say anything to Roviel, for the writing said not to. Instead he stayed silent, his mind musing over the startling discovery and how that affected his answer to her question.

He looked over to Roviel now, noting out of habit that her jeans needed to be washed and that her left cuff was losing threads. Her hair was shorter, recently cut just below the ears. He didn't know if it suited her though, but had enough sense not to say that when she asked for his opinion on the matter. A shimmer of soft gold adorned her neck, the ice crystal absorbing the moonlight and glowed with some inner light. He was glad that when she lost her memory of her past that she didn't forget how to use the weapon. Although they've been training her, she was still a low A class youkai when it came to Youki. Roviel relied on more physical attacks, and since it had kept her alive for this long already, the rest of them didn't complain too much.

She belonged to the night, he just realized. It suited her nature, her tendency to speak between the lines and hinting more questions with every answer she give. The darkened heavens with their own lingering mysteries understood and accepted her ways, taking her in as one of their own and shedding their grace upon her. Under the silvery light the colbat blue in her hair was more prominent as ripples of sapphire fire ran down the black locks.

She turned suddenly, evidently having felt a pair of eyes watching her. Eyeing him in a suspicious way, she raised one brow at him.

"What now kitsune? Unless I have suddenly grown horns and am lacking all of my clothing while being spontaneously hyperactive, I don't see why you have to disrupt my peaceful session by continuously looking at me. Ever had someone stare at your back? It's not a good feeling."

He grinned as her former sarcastic self returned. Their strange session before was over now, or so it would appear.

"I was just pondering, that's all."

She yawned, one eye peering at him with idle laziness.

"Pondering over what?"

"What you said before, if I would fix everything if given the opportunity."

"Ah yes, I almost forgot. So, have you decided?"

She winced slightly, right arm slowly easing onto her lap. He knew it was because of the numerous scars down her right shoulder and back, living reminders of when the skin had been frayed and torn off. Although she didn't show it, her injury pained her as much as Hiei's when the winter wind blew. He suddenly felt lucky, and selfish. Out all of them he gotten off the easiest, and he felt that he didn't deserve the special treatment.

"Hello? Some form of life would be good. Foxes, they are all the same I tell you. Strange lot."

He chuckled at this. It would have been weird, her waiting for an answer and him just wandering off again.

"Apologies, I was trying to decide."

"And have you decided yet?"

"Indeed. And I think..."

She stared at him, waiting for his answer. He smiled.

"I won't have chosen. It is not for me to decide, but everyone who lives in this time, Reikai, Nigenkai and Makai alike. For it is in times such as these does one find something priceless."

Her eye twitched. She glared at his smiling form for several moments more, no doubt trying to find a reason not to kill the damned red-head. Finally she snorted, standing up and patting down her jeans.

"I'm going to sleep. And from your plain weird answer just then, I think your brain needs some rest too before it fries completely."

Walking over to the attic ladder, his sharp ears picked up the distinct words of "kitsune" and "brainless", among other descriptions. Her dark mutterings faded as she climbed down the ladder and into the apartment block, cursing loudly as something crashed down below him.

He's going to miss her, this one who would die when the flashback is over. Then the old her would return, cold and distant and hurt like the rest of them. But what saddened him most was that Roviel would not remember this night, how for a moment, he let his guard down and allowed himself to truly smile again.

The ring glinted again, as if reminding him the important part it played this night. Twisting it on his finger, a smile tugged at his mouth. Now if only he could help her so that she finds the secret of the curse herself... His grin widened. It's a good thing that they were both youkais, because he knew it was going to take a long time...

* * *

I thought of adding this to Chapter Fourteen, but I just couldn't bear the thought of that. I love this chapter, even if _is _an unoffical one. It's so haunting and soft and almost melancholy(sp?), exactly what I love. Review, please? I would love to see how you see this chapter as. 


	16. Afternoon Break, Time Off

Riz:

I'm feeling very guilty, so here's the newest chapter. It's not as good, but just something to keep anyone who wants to kill me due to my unactiveness at bay. So, sorry for disappearing for so long.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Afternoon Break; Time Off

She turned one corner, frowned, then retraced her steps back down the polished white marble floor. Coming back to where she started, her eyes narrowed dangerously. That's it, she's had it. Feet planted solidly apart, hands on hips; she took in one deep breath and screamed.

"YOUKO! I know you are here!"

Nothing

"If you are not in front of my by the time I count three, I'm going to kill you and send your soul down to Hell!"

Still no response

"GET YOUR TAIL OUT HERE BEFORE I CATCH YOU AND MAKE YOU STERILE!"

A flash of white blurred past her vision, silver tipped ears twitching as the legendary Makai thief grovelled before the exploding woman. But of cause he's not really grovelling in reality, which would be too degrading even for this author to comprehend. Rather, it's the way he carried himself that was more important. The aura of sleek confidence was gone, replaced by what seemed like a almost meek look. Seeing him appear, storm grey eyes glared at the fox.

"I hope you've got everything ready? This is a very important day for me, so you better not have messed things up."

His tail twitched as orbs of regal gold smiled. Yes she was angry, but that's only for show. That much he's learned in the short space of near three years. She's much more sensitive than she led most people to believe. Nodding, sheets of white gold hair fell as he bowed; an over-exaggerated gesture that bought him a step closer to her.

"Of cause, how could I not? After all, your wish is my command."

Her lips twitched, and she bit down hard on them. Damn Youko, why does he have to act so... him? She hid her amusement behind her hand as a fake yawn.

"So I guess you've got something to do this afternoon? Cause this is a female-only thing."

He nodded, pacing slowing round the corridor.

"I got things to keep myself occupied. Thinking of visiting my human counterpart to see how well he's faring? But I'm expecting the worst, considering he's living with _that _friend of yours. I have no idea how he can stand her."

Yuki sniggered at this. The thief had absolutely no idea how similar to Roviel. She was just wondering if she should tell him when he embraced her from behind, his flower-scented musk filling her nose.

"In times like this, I'm glad to have you as my mate."

She gave in, what's left of her anger melting away as he nuzzled her neck.

"Well as long as you don't go and have one-nighters withany slutty bitches again."

"I promise."

"You are lying."

"Mm..."

Turning in his embrace, Yuki kissed the fox, her fingers entwined in his silky hair. He returned the kiss, and just as things were heating up, the doorbell rang. Well not a real doorbell, but a magical alarm that warns them of any visitors (expected or unexpected) that had entered their property. Looking decidedly harassed, Youko tramp to the door.

"Whoever it is I'm going to kill them for interrupting... Oh, Roviel. It is a pleasure to see you again."

Yuki watched, amused, as her mate grinned in complete fake happiness at Roviel, who grinned in complete fake happiness upon seeing the silver-haired youkai.

"Who was it you were going to kill for interrupting something?"

Youko's jaws froze in the smile.

"Oh you must be mistaken. I said I was going to _steal, _not kill."

"Indeed? Then I'm sorry for the mistake."

"Do not worry about it."

Yuki knew that Roviel was lying. The youkai's sense of hearing never failed to amaze her.

Still standing at the door, Roviel gestured to the inside of the house... mansion... big place

"May I please come in?"

Youko nodded, allowing her to pass while he stepped out.

"Of cause you may. Enjoy your stay, I shall be going now. I was thinking of visiting Kurama."

"Please do. He's a little down these days."

Waving at her, Youko walked off down their front yard, muttering to himself.

"I wonder why."

Hearing the sarcastic remark, Roviel raised her voice at the thief.

"Yes, I do too."

He turned to glare at her, and she grinned back. Eyes narrowed at this, the fox jumped and disappeared.

Slamming the door, Roviel dragged herself towards the living room oblivious that Yuki was trying to get her attention. Finding the unoccupied couch, amber eyes closed in weariness as she flopped down on it. Frowning at this, Yuki nudged the apparently half-dead youkai.

"You ok? What happened? You look dead."

Roviel groaned.

"I don't know. I had a flashback yesterday. The last thing I remembered was arriving at the train station and walking back home. This morning I woke up exhausted as if I've walked around the whole city, felt as if I haven't slept at all last night, and have this huge bruise on my leg from god-knows-what."

With her mind still on Youko and their earlier.. um... let's just call it incident, (I can't think, brain-dead. Lol! ) Yuki sniggered at Roviel's descriptions of her condition.

"You sure Kurama didn't do anything to you last night?"

One weary tawny orb blinked at the woman, realization of what the pink-haired human implied not hitting home for some time. At this, Roviel groaned again.

"Shut Up. You just put a horrid image into my mind by saying that."

"What? Kurama na..."

"GODS! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS? CAN'T I GET SOME DECENT SLEEP AROUND HERE? DON'T TALK TO ME, OK?"

Pushing up from the couch Roviel stormed into the kitchen. The sound of doors opened and slammed, of drawers pulled then pushed back. Then silence. A few seconds later.

"Yuki, where's the tea leaves?"

-

Inhaling the aromatic scent of the green tea, Roviel turned one idle eye upon Yuki. Eight years it's been since the girl had first met the Reikai Tentai, and in that time she's grown. Apart from Kuwabara, the rest of the remaining Reikai Tentai did not change in appearance at all. Seven years was nothing in youkai years. But the same could not be said for Yuki. She's grown taller and slimmer. What many though "plain" back in high school had grown to become a simple elegance, a soft and quiet thing that needed not any accessories to make beautiful. She still dyed her hair pink, the wavy locks still curling down to her back. No lines of age adorned her face, but the mist black orbs were softened with worry and care. Perhaps that came with growing old, or maybe being married to Youko... Thinking of the silver-haired fox, Roviel snorted.

"Why do you even like that thieving idiot I will never understand. Gods, I can't find one good thing about him expect for the fact that he's bloody rich, and is insanely hot and is so powerful. So what?"

Yuki rolled her eyes in despair. Why did both Youko and Roviel have to be so... oblivious sometimes?

"It's exactly like you said. He's.. Oh, someon's arrived."

Yuki had already stood up when a blur of black and white ran past her and headed to the door. The paneled wood of a thing creaked open, showing two figures standing outside the door. Yukina stepped in, the okami still her gentle self despite what had happened. Behind her Keiko walked across the threshold in hesitant steps. Smiling at the one who opened the door for them, claret eyes turned to Yuki.

"Oh Yuki, I hope we are not too late. Is Roviel here yet?"

"She better not be here, that youkai. Okasan, why did you have to invite _her _over all the time? She's stupid and arrogant and looks at you as if she knows everything and you know nothing."

Still lying on the couch and out of sight from those by the door, Roviel smirked. That little brat, all whiny and ego-inflated, just like his father the thief. She could hear footsteps coming towards them, accompanied by the child's endless voice.

"...As if I know nothing. Really, who does she think she's talking to? Alwayscorrecting me at theend of my sentences. Why does she act as if she knows everything and I know nothing?"

One maple eye opened as Roviel yawned and sat up, to the uttermost surprise of the formerly outspoken boy.

"Maybe because I _do _know everything and you _do _no nothing, Raiyu."

They glared at each with that, each unaware of the amused looks their actions have attracted from the audience. Eyes narrowed, Roviel raised one brow at Raiyu. The boy looked every single inch like his otosan from the ears to the tail. She wondered briefly at who his mother was, for it was impossible to know by simply looking at him. In all the two years he's been living with Yuki and the thief, Raiyu didn't say one single thing about his past before coming to Nigenkai and finding his other side of the family. Why Yuki wanted to keep the little brat who was no doubt some bastard the thief had with some half-brained female she would never know, but Roviel had the sneaking suspicion that it's got something to do with the kid looking exactly like his sire.

A cough broke the staring contest between the two and both set of eyes whirled over to the giggling Yukina and snorting Yuki. Simultaneously both sets of eyes narrowed at the amused two, both no doubt thinking of all the possible ways they could use to wipe the smiles off the faces.

"Don't glare at us like that; it's really funny if you could have seen yourself."

Yuki blinked at the familiar voice. Keiko sounded almost joyful. It must be one of her good days then. The woman _had _been wondering what she would do if Keiko was in one of her trances again. Luckily that wasn't so, and Yuki gestured for her two new guests to seat themselves. Still smiling, she patted her step-son on his head and tweaked his black shirt.

"Be a good boy and go train, ok?"

Raiyu stomped off, eyeing Roviel with distaste as he disappeared down the corridor of the mansion. For her own sake Yuki decided to ignore the look Roviel gave back to the child, focusing instead on how to change the subject.

"It's nice to have everyone here and just relaxing. I can't remember the last time all of us were together. So how's everything going for you guys?"

Keiko curled into a tall-backed seat, turning and looking out of the window and at the sunlit day.

"Are you sure we are safe? What if some youkai attacks us?"

Yuki grinned at this, a prideful look on her face as she began the lecture.

"That's impossible. First of all, only those who are invited can walk through our garden and not be attacked. And as you all know, the mansion is like a maze if you don't know where you are going. A stranger would have almost no chance. And of cause, I made Youko erect a barrier around our house which would tell those inside the house if someone has entered the borders. If that all fails, the numerous artifacts that we have in the house will be more than enough to demolish any unwanted strangers."

That finished, Yuki took in one deep breath to recover from her lengthy speech. Keiko looked half-satisfied. Roviel sighed while Yukina just grinned at all this. Her sleeves arranged to lay flat on her lap Yukina decided that she should be the one to start the conversation.

"Yuki seems to be living quite comfortably right now. That is good; at least one of us should be living without risking for our life every single day. Shizuru and I are doing well. Touya has been very courteous to look after us. Without him I do not know how we could kill all the youkais that are after us. And he's been teachingme how to fully master my abilitiesso that I can defendmyselfagainst youkais if he's not there.Except from that, everything's been good... Although I do wish that Kuwabara could live with us and not have to suffer by himself all the time..."

A silence filled the room. Yuki looked from Roviel to Yukina, wondering just how that comment would have affected them both. It was Keiko who broke the lull. Shifting in her seat, the woman hugged the seat's pillow into her chest.

"Jin has been wonderful to me. I know that it must be so hard for him to look after me when I'm in one of my trances. Like Yukina, I want to live with you guys. But that would be too dangerous and you'll all have to be looking after us and... yea... So how's Kuwabara lately?"

Yukina brightened up at the question. Anything that's about Kuwabara would most definitely cheer her up, as long as it wasn't any bad news.

"Well, he's coming along well. Yesterday he almost smiled. I still believe that he can be healed, all that's needed is patience and love."

"One of which Youko doesn't have. Really, just because you didn't succeed in cooking an egg is no reason that you can smash the kitchen to tiny pieces. At least I know he's no longer having any one-night standers anymore. One kid who stands at the door some morning and declares that Youko is his father is more than enough for me. At least Raiyu looks like Youko..."

"And why is that a good thing? One more kitsune out loose into the world is _not _something to be celebrated about. And how do you that fox isn't seeing someone behind your back again? Have you asked if he's sired anymore brats?"

"I did ask him. But he said that he doesn't know. And I believe him. I mean considering how many females he's been with it _would _be pretty hard trying to keep track of them all."

Out of the corner of her eye Yuki saw that Roviel smirked. Keiko looked mildly interested, at least that's better than having no emotion on her face at all. It was a surprise when nobody else but Yukina came to the woman's help. Sipping her drink, the okami turned politely to Roviel.

"And how are you and Kurama doing?"

The youkai under scrutinizing looked not too pleased. Now it was Yuki's turn to smirk. Yukina had given her the perfect opportunity to bite back.

"Yea Roviel. How_is _you are your husband."

Resisting the strong urge to grind her teeth together, the youkai ran her tongue lightly over her teeth instead.

"The kitsune is_ not_ my husband. If he was then I would have killed him by now. At least that way I won't have to be stuck with him for the rest of my life."

"But there's got to be something, right?"

Her eye was twitching; not a good sign. Why damnit did Yukina had to bring _this _topic up? The youkai was still steaming from her lack of memory of last night, the anger fueled further when the red-head artfully slid from her questions with a very large lunch and then a soft reminder that she's suppose to be at Yuki's today. Between the delicious food and hurrying over the mansion without looking suspicious Roviel had completely forgotten about her queries, that is, until now. Oh she's going to get back at the kitsune for the slip, that's for sure.

"...Hello? Are you alright? You look like you want to kill someone right now."

Keiko did not look assured when Roviel grinned at her and said that she was fine. Kicking the different thoughts of how to take revenge on the red-head aside, the amber eyes closed as she sighed.

"I suppose he's a great house-keeper. He cooks, he cleans, and he even knows how to look after my plants without killing them. There's one good thing about the curse; at least I don't have the scare of seeing some red-haired kid appearing at _my _doorstep. We mind our business and get along at the house good enough, he never pokes his nose into my personal life and I have the same courtesy for his side of things. It all works out, in a very strange and stiff way..."

"My, that sounds so interesting. I wish..."

And it went on, the four of them chatting away in the room. Slowly, as time went by, each gradually warmed up the conversations. They talked about their lives, their laughs and wishes, their thoughts on the future and regrets of the past. Although the somber mood still remained by the end of the day, it was no longer something that they cared about. With understanding comes acceptance, and as they listened and commented on each other's lives, they had come to accept not only the lives of others, but also themselves, this unrealistic life in which they all live in.

Or, if you are not quite the philosophical mind as the author, think of it this way; it's always better to talk to others about your troubles rather than keep them bottled up inside. Not exactly what the author was meaning, but near enough for the common mind.

* * *

If you are going to flame me on how disgustingly crappy this chapter is, don't bother. I'm already mentally-kicking myself for this. I'm really sorry, but I dragged this all up in 3 hours without thinking much about what I'm writing. Well I _do _know why I'm writing this; to let the readers know Yuki's life right now. But that was so sad... as in pathetic sad...

I think it's all the essays I had to do for all of this week and draft essays in preparation for next week, cause there's no other explaination why I can write essays easily and yet can't do a half-assed second-rated job on a fanfic. Once again I apologise. I'll definitely be updating in the next seven days, and the next chapter, unlike this one, is a part of my dream so I have a solid knowledge of what's going to happen and everything.


	17. Dusk, Shadow Dance

To Asilin Kheldarson: Nope. Yuki's still fully human. No changes whatsoever. I know, so many "Y"s

To Peeka-chan: Thanks for chasing the mob away from me. This is my Yami's house, and I don't think she's going to be very happy when she comes back and sees all black ash where her mansion used to be... I updated! Ya!

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Dusk; Shadow Dance

As the sun set against a background of blood gold, a large fanged yawn broke through the timeless atmosphere. Blinking the drowsiness from her eyes, Roviel proceeded to snatch insects out of the air, this display showing just what kind of bored state she was in. Yes, staying alive was still as hard as before, and yes, the youkais on Nigenkai were increasing, bit by slow bit. But as everything in life, there's always got to be that tiny little bit of a lull in everything. One would have thought that the youkai would appreciate this hard-earned peace considering the length she went to stay alive until now. That was not the case...

Crash, topple, stumble, crash again. Perhaps she should clean up the mess the attic was in; even the great Youko could not walk from one end of the room to the other without banging against something and breaking something else... Eyes closed, Roviel listened with lazy curiosity as Kurama made his hasty, not to mention loud, way up to the roof where she laid. Hm, the kitsune was not one for haste unless there was a good reason for it, like someone setting fire to his favourite rose-bush. She sniggered. Yea, that'll be right...

A head poked out from the ladder, red locks falling before wild orbs of spring. He didn't even bother to climb up, but rather simply yelled at her.

"There's an emergency! Follow me quickly!"

She didn't bother to move. Whatever the emergency was, unless it concerned her, it was not worth all the energy of moving. And besides, this boredom was getting quite interesting; she had almost convinced herself that Kuwabara was in actual fact in love with Hiei and the couple was only using Yukina as a shield to keep their relationship a secret and suspicion-free...

"Why aren't you moving? I mean it, this is really important; youkais are attacking the human area in the city, the humans who have Tolerated jobs!"

_That _caught her attention. A frown adorned her brow, but still the youkai refused to move. Why were the youkais suddenly breaking the treaty and attacking _those _humans? If it was a large group of high-leveled youkais, and a lot of humans in a confined area... The youkai could just imagine the screams of death in her mind... No, not again. She's had it, given up long ago. There was no way he could make her go.

"And that concerns me... how?"

She needn't open her eyes to know that Kurama was angry. Just the force of his steps as the kitsune marched towards her was more than enough evidence that he was fuming. One hand flew down to grab her wrist, but she was faster. Holding his forearm down so that he had to bend over, Roviel heaved a sigh. One amber eye finally opened, the idle gaze trapping the kitsune in its hardening shell.

"Give me one good reason, and I'll go. Just one."

He glared at her, the fists clenched in shaking fury. She ignored this, the one eye not once wavering its unblinking hold. It was he who eventually broke their silent battle of the wills, jerking his hand out off her hold with a savage pull and standing tall again. The hard emeralds continued to burn down at her; Roviel could just see him planning to drag her away by force. But the eyes changed, softened as his aura took on a very strange tone.

"Because, every life in this world deserves to live to their fullest, be it human or youkai. It is not anyone's fault, not theirs or yours or mine. Give them a chance."

The near-pleading tone of his voice fitted perfectly with his eyes, the kitsune's look silently begging her to go. She frowned again. Was that... pity in his look? What, did the fox pity _her_ all of a sudden? The look was like that of a patient father gently consulting a brash and rude child who did not understand anything. So what did the damn fox mean by that look?

He turned away, jumping off the rooftop and into the jungle below. A few seconds later she saw a red-headed figure running towards the human district. Her frown deepened; why did he just leave without persuading her further?

Both eyes were open now, autumn gaze looking into the ever-darkening sky. It wasn't their fault, he says. Pft, as if. Why should she? If it wasn't for the humans none of this would have happened in the first place. It was because they had to protect Nigenkai which had resulted in all here now. Give them a chance. Please...

But he was right in a sense. The humans did not know anything about Makai or Reikai or youkais until the invasion. And in a way, they truly_ weren't _to blame. How could one fault for something one did not even know about? And... Oh gods, why didn't she realize this sooner?

Jumping up, Roviel leapt off the roof and into the greenery. They gave way before, flesh-eating jaws closing in her presence as the forest allowed their master to pass. Dashing out and onto the street, the youkai growled deep in her throat. So _that's _what the kitsune was playing all along. The pitying look, the philosophical answer of wrong and right, the silent departure. The growl rose a notch. He was trying to make her feel guilty, knowing full well that his strange departure would make her think over his actions in detail, then slowly think about what he said. And when _that _finished, her thoughts would turn to his eyes, how he looked down upon her with sympathy. And by then she would have felt guilty for blaming the humans about everything and go help. A crooked grin appeared on her face, the turn of the lips revealing pointed canines. It was luck that she realized what Kurama was playing at before her mind was fully ensnared in his mental trap. The fanged grin grew wider. Yes, she's going to meet him, but not to help. Oh no...

-

Rose and lavender filled her senses, the sweet scent an odd contrast to the heavy musk. Breaking the intense kiss, Yuki allowed the smile to show. Damn Youko, knowing exactly what to do when she gets annoyed with the thief. Arg, she was losing control over him... Seeing her reaction, orbs of golden splendour laughed.

"Well now, what do you say to a little forgiveness to this poor unloved youkai."

_She _knew full well what he meant, for while he was speaking the thief was pushing her towards the bedroom door. But as always, she resisted, digging her feet onto the ground. As she continued to slide along the polished, cleaned, and most of all, _smooth _marble flooring, Yuki made a note to herself to kill Youko... after this.

The doorbell rang. Or to be more precise, the alarm barrier set around their property which would warn the occupants of any visitors. Stopping in his tracks, Youko raised his head.

"Someone's coming to the door. Who, though? Unless Kurama and them got an emergency... Wait a moment, I'll go check."

Youko walked off. Curious as to who this unexpected visitor was, Yuki was about to follow when a damp cloth clasped around her mouth and nose. Her first reaction was to scream, but as the first lungful of air came in Yuki knew something was wrong. Her mind blurring as the cloth's drugs took effect, the last thing in Yuki's mind was "who"?

-

A quick check of the property revealed that there was no one out in the gardens except for him. Youko was puzzled. Who was it? Nearly no one except for the Reikai Tentais and those who associate with them knew that the famed thief of Makai lived on Nigenkai. And the few who do know also remembered tales of his cold and sadist ways. Not one would think of voluntarily coming over and visiting him. And if the person were friends of his, then where did they go? Scratching his head over this dilemma, the thief returned back inside his home. Yuki would want to know who this disappearing stranger was... and she ought to be in the bedroom. Grinning to himself on the great job he's done placating her, Youko walked into the bedroom.

Nothing. Or rather, no beautiful woman with pink hair and dangerous temper waiting for him to report back. Now doubly puzzled, the fox poked around the place looking for clues (in case it was a game of hide and seek and she's somewhere in the mansion and leaving clues as to where she was.) No clues did he find, but on the bed below one pillow was something which made him choke. Daring to believe his eyes, Youko reached out with one trembling hand and grasped the object in his hand. Lifting his fist, he slowly opened his fingers. And lying there, in the middle of his palm, was an old plain gold bracelet...

* * *

Indeed, very short. I'm very short on time, got tests to study for and assessments to hand in and essays to write and stories to draft. I'll update... soon. As in one week soon. But for now, please bear with this cliff-hanger. I would love to see what your theory of the bracelet is as well as Yuki's kidnapper's identity. Anyone who get's close will be awarded with a Hiei plushie. Hiei's mine, or at least what little time I get with him before all the other Hiei fangirls come running. What did you expect, me a Kurama fan? Sorry, but nope. Did I suprise you with that startling fact? But come on, dragons are WAY cooler than foxes any day of the week. 

So, review please? That would be wonderful, as well as bribe me to type up the next chapter sooner. Hehehe... I mean, I didn't mean for you to hear that... Hehehe...


	18. Evening, Silver Memory

Riz:

Yep, me updated! I was going to hold off until Wed, but I was feeling so guilty... So me updating! Even if this chapter's very... weird and confusing... hope you don't hate it TOO much... Sweatdrop.

To Togurotheman: It's like this. The dimension where one is born is the dimension where one is suppose to stay. There are forces in each dimension unique to that world which holds the workings of all living things in this world together. Once one leave their world and the forces, the workings of their... soul would start to unravel. The soul itself would resist this and have the energy to hold off this for one year and a day, IF the person does not return back to where they belong. After the time limit, and the person's still not back in their own world, then stuff start to happen to their mind. The most common symptom is the loss of memory. Depending on the race and each particular person, the degree their memory would be affected varies. Some rare few aren't affected at all, others forget what they did this morning while others forget chuncks of their life. In Roviel's case, aside from her losing memory of her previous life, it has also randomly attacked random parts of her memory, which causes the flashbacks. You could see it as a temporary erosion of a certain time-frame in her mind. This is just another effect of her staying in a world that she doesn't belong in. Ah yes, the typos. Well I know the snicker/snigger part. I just like using snigger for some reason, snicker sounds... bit TOO mean. And as for the "coarse" thing, THANK YOU! I'll get to it as soon as humanly possible.

To Asilin Kheldarson: Skittles sounds nice. But that's alright, me happy just with your review. Sorry this is yet another cliff-hanger, one which gives more questions rather than answers. Enjoy! Lol!

To DemonEnHiding: Oh please, she's such a brat. Not as if she doesn't have any typos in her bio page. I say ignore pathetic second-hand losers like her. Well, I can't wait until you finish the second chapter, cause then I would be able to read what happens next in the story and wait for your review of my story at the same time! Yep, me very... um... yea...

What else to say, HIIII!

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Evening; Silver Memory 

The streets were empty. Sure, that was nothing special, but signs of hasty departures as well as scuffles could be seen in most of the rooms she peeked into. Massaging her temples the youkai glared around the place. By gods, where could they be? The sudden crash from the next room broke through her annoyance. Someone was there? This was confirmed as a young man ran out from the corner and stopped dead at the sight of the youkai who planted herself solidly in his path. Grabbing a fistful of the human's shirt, Roviel brought her face inches from his face. She could understand why many youkais loved to terrorize humans; the wild fear in his eyes made her feel powerful and in control. This, adding onto her earlier frustration threatened to over-boil. The strangle-hold on him tightened. It would be so easy right now, just to squeeze a bit more and watch in fanged pleasure as his life is crushed out of him by her very own hands...

She sighed, a mixture of regret and relief as her hand loosened enough that the human could breathe. One eye turned onto the human. He better be useful...

"You, what's your name?"

The young man startled, obviously having imagined every possibility except to be asked his name by the youkai.

"I... Eh... Kaiyato... Please don't kill me!"

Now she wished she _had _killed this bloody idiot. Imbeciles, the whole lot of them... Biting back the urge to pound his head in Roviel proceeded march out of the house, dragging the unfortunate Kaiyato with her. Striding down the street, Roviel turned her attention to this... Kaiyato.

"Where are all the other humans hiding?"

"Um... We heard the news that youkais came to kill us, so we all evacuated to the building where the central bank used to be."

"Good, now take me there."

"Well... I _would _but you are choking me."

Releasing her hold with a small shove, Roviel ran after Kaiyato in the direction of the bank and, where she guessed, Kurama.

-

Groaning at the fog of haziness which has enveloped her mind, she buried her face into the pillow. Urg, her brain hurts, bad. She didn't drink _that _much last night did she? Holding her head in one hand Yuki turned her blurry eyes onto Youko beside her. So that whole thing before was all a dream? Yuki sighed in relief. Good good, all good. She better not has been kidnapped by some Random Weird Guy. Lying beside her, golden orbs gazed at the woman. Although her head was completely fried, the woman could still sense that the youkai was snickering at her condition in his head. She groaned again. Damn that kitsune could smirk... Sleep came over her again, the misted arms drawing her deeper into the realm of dreams.

Pale honey orbs gazed down in silence at the sleeping figure. Leaning down, one hand reached down and tucked stray tresses of soft pink from her face. The fingered lingered for a moment, tracing the curves of her face. An amused bark of laughter broke through the quietness as he tossed his head in dark humor. Standing up from the bed, white gold ears flickered in the air as honey amber locks swayed across his vision. She looked so much like Shikari... A wry grin touched his face. How cruel Fate was indeed; he had promised to let the past go, and yet the past came back to grasp him in their claws again. The door locked with a soft click and the fanged grin widened. Now all he needed was to wait for Youko to find the bracelet, to remember and to come...

-

Amber eyes glared at the crowd of humans around her. As one very stupid human raised his trembling gun at her, a brow twitched. A blink later the imbecile was on the ground with a very annoyed youkai baring her fangs in his face. A deep growl rose from her throat.

"Now, be a nice boy and tell me where a red-haired green eyed boy could be found, ok?"

"Ah, I see you have come."

She rose and whirled in one movement, sunlit stare burning into the kitsune. The anger which had been slowly rising over the afternoon just rose ten-fold at the sight of a smile on the red-head's face. Striding up, she punched at his face. He ducked, twisting away just in time to avoid a kick closely followed by a series of very enraged blows. Skipping away, Kurama raised palms at Roviel.

"Please, can we not talk about this? Let's not be too hasty here. Why are you attacking me?"

Breathing heavily from her assault, Roviel pointed one accusing finger at the red-head.

"_You _tried to make me guilty so that I would come and help you defend these pitiful humans! Luckily I realized just in time and your techniques didn't work."

To her uttermost surprise, the kitsune began to chuckle.

"I was beginning to be worried if you picked up on my hints or not. I had presumed that you should be able to see the clue, but I was not absolutely sure. I was starting to worry that you wouldn't come here."

"...Eh?"

Kurama could not keep the smile from his face.

"I didn't want you to help the humans; I just wanted you to come here."

She was still confused. Why would the damned kitsune want _that_?

"You see, it doesn't matter if you want to help or not, the youkais are nearly here and so the only way you are going to leave this place is to kill the youkais. Which is exactly what I asked your help for in the first place!"

Oh, by gods how she wanted to pound the smile off his face right now... Just as Roviel was about to jump onto Kurama, the first window shattered as a youkai heaved his arm in. Pulling a rose from his hair, Kurama turned one emerald eye onto Roviel.

"Well?"

Her fist tightened. All of the things came pouring in; thinking that she was tricked by Kurama, having to have use an idiot human as a guide, being a pointed at with a gun, then being told that she was tricked by thinking she was tricked. A sadist grin came onto her face as Roviel cracked her knuckles. Well... Just what she needed, a few punching-bags to vent all the anger. Walking up to the youkai who was half through the window, she took a fistful of his hair and slammed his forehead into the wall. A very satisfying crunch sounded as his nose broke. Ah yes, just what she needed...

-

Running to where the large of youkais were, silver locks flew through the air as the thief raised his whip. Damnit, why did they have to be there of all the places. He was wasting precious time, time that could be used to rescue Yuki...

The moment Youko saw the bracelet; he knew that this was serious. His past life, the life of thievery and killing which he had thrown away long ago all came flooding back. Shikari, Koruku, him, that fated day, the plain golden bracelet binding them all together. He had tried to forget that, _had _forgotten that, but with all unsettled business they always come back. This was back now, the golden bracelet unlocking the waves of memories within him.

The first thing Youko did was to look for Hiei and Kuwabara. The two listened to his plea and surprisingly, both decided to help. After giving the two directions to their destination Youko went over to his human counterpart's housing. Having found nobody, the thief decided to follow the trickle of youkais who were all heading in one direction. Where-ever there were youkais of such numbers in a human city, there's bound to be Kurama. And he was right, the fox sensing not only Kurama's but Roviel's Youki inside the building being attacked by the mass of youkais. As the thief slashed his way through the pitifully weak but many youkais, Youko glared. This better be worth it...

-

Roll, jab up and follow, cut, block and twist. Killing off yet another group of baring fangs and gleaming talons, Roviel began to tire. Kso, there was so many of them! If only they had more help...

And help did come, in the form of a very familiar and annoying white-clad figure slashing away at the hoard. With _him _here, the enemies were much easier to finish off. Beheading the last youkai, Roviel leaned back against the tattered wall. So tiring...

"...for helping us. You came just in time."

Roviel turned to Youko. Yea, why _did_ the bloody fox come for? Seeing the harassed look on his face, Roviel knew that it couldn't be out of the kindness of his heart. The golden eyes wide, Youko took in one deep breath and steeled himself for the anger...

"Yuki's kidnapped and I need your help to save her."

Five seconds of absolute silence before...

"WHAT! YOU FOX HOW DARE YOU BLOODY LITTLE PIECE OF WASTE LET THIS HAPPEN TO YUKI! I'LL SEND YOUR PUNY SOUL DOWN TO THE TENTH LEVEL OF HELL!"

"WAIT! Let me explain. This is not a normal kidnapping. This... this has something to do with my past, back before I came to Nigenkai."

Angry as she was, curiosity overcame rage. Breathing heavily through her nose Roviel resisted the urge to choke Youko.

"So what's the story behind this?"

-

"What? You are Youko's older half-brother? How the hell?"

Yuki sat staring in dismay at the golden-haired kitsune sitting opposite her. Several hours before she had woken only to find herself locked in a strange bedroom by herself. Having banged and screamed at the door for hours straight, the door was finally opened. At first she had thought that it was another one of Youko's jokes. That was, before she saw that instead of silver hair, this Youko look-alike had pale golden locks. He looked a lot older, and the golden orbs held a much harder look than Youko. Before Yuki could fill her lungs and demand what is the meaning of this, he got there first. He dragged her over to a seat, tied her down, and sat opposite on the bed before telling her in a very polite manner that he was called Koruku and that he was Youko's half-brother on his father's side. Now Yuki sat there, a chaos of confusion and anger and the new information. Youko had an older brother, why did he never tell her that? And why did this Koruku kidnap her? She struck up her courage. Whatever the reason was, she's going to get to the bottom of it.

"Why did you kidnap me then? If you have problems then go find Youko. Or is Youko too powerful for you so that you need to have a hostage?"

The fox shook his head, the cold grave eyes locking onto hers. She stopped talking, entranced by the serious gaze. He stared at her for several seconds, before smiling to himself.

"Yes, I suppose it would be most unkind if one was in the middle of a feud they did not even know. I shall tell you a story then, and by the end of it you shall see Youko from a very different perspective.

It all started, so many years ago. Back when Youko was nothing more than a pickpocket and I a nameless C leveled youkai. We made a good team, me taking hold of people's attentions while Youko took whatever he could without being noticed. Back then he was the brains of us two, the one who never allowed his emotions to dominate over his logic. I envied him, the cool self-confidence in his movements, the elegant stalking look he had in his eyes. But he was always kind to me, making sure to split the spoils so that I would always get a bit more. He said that it was compensation for my lack of brains. I never took offence in that, for Youko was right; I _was _less intelligent than him. We grew up that way, the two of us in a bond stronger than any other sibling, even if we weren't full-blood relatives. Life was perfect, as perfect as they could be. Then came the most wondrous and horrifying days of my life..."

* * *

Muhahaha, yet another cliff-hanger. But this one can't be helped; it's nearly midnight and I have a before-school lesson tomorrow. So me need to sleep. I'll have the next chapter out in this week, I PROMISE! Please don't kill me or maim me horriblly! Oh yes, REVIEWS! Don't forget the little button below that sends me a message! 


	19. Golden Eclipse Alignment of Destinies

Riz:

Sorry Asilin; it's a three to one vote on no. Please don't kill me! So no Sara. But I _will _a One-Shot on her with a little bit of stuff on her which I was intending to put in here. But here is the next chapter with a bit of family history... Of shorts.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: Golden Eclipse; Alignment of Destinies

Shoving away the mass of rubble the four followed in heavy silence behind Youko. They were all waiting for some kind of explanation for this "mission" and what exactly they were doing. Picking her way across the battered floor Roviel could not help but give a wry grin. Mission... How long since it's been that she's last heard of the word? Ever since that fated incident which destroyed all of Nigenkai the word have become a unconscious taboo among the Reikai Tentai. Not that there was some any actual rules stating that they could not say the word; it just happened. Ironic really; ever since that mission the youkai had sworn never to risk her own life for the likes of humans. But here she was now, stumbling down a darkened tunnel to heaven-knows-where and facing a foe of unknown strength. And all for what? She snorted; why is life as it is?

"Thief, just in case I failed to catch it earlier, just tell us again why we are doing this?"

When the whole world changes, Hiei would still stay the same. Kurama grinned at the dripping sarcasm of those words. But it was true; they all needed to know the details of this... expedition. They've been walking aimlessly (or seemingly so) down to some pitiful level of Makai and then crawling down some mountain-side cave that looked as if it was going to collapse anytime. So there should at least some kind of... story to this, right?

Youko stayed silent and continued to move forward. For some time the thief continued to ignore those behind him. But as a corner loomed over them before them the fox stopped suddenly. They all stopped, three sets of curious eyes and one pair of angry one locked onto the white-clad figure.

"...It was so long ago, I had almost forgotten about it..."

-

Tucking back locks of misted gold Koruku leaned back against the bedpost.

"We met her one day when we were on another hunt. It was an accident; we carelessly thought that no one was following us and so slackened on our guard. Next thing we knew someone was trying to kill us with their piercing yells and sword-slashes. I managed to get a hold of our attacker and interrogate her. Seemed that she was suppose to be the guard for that night, a wager with her family that if she could keep the treasures safe from thieves for one year then she could escape some kind of contract of some sort. _I _was tempted to give back our hoard to her, but Youko stubbornly refused. And so she followed us, vowing to tag us for the rest of our days until we gave back what's rightfully hers."

Yuki listened intently, storm clouded orbs wide as she listened to this strange story. What does this have anything to do with her? The woman's concentration was broken as the binding around her suddenly fell. Picking up the rope, Koruku handed Yuki a glass of water, amber-laced orbs gazing down at her in clouded thoughts.

"Drink? I'm afraid that I had to tie you up just then to assess your powers and see if you would be able to escape."

Gulping down the water, Yuki frowned up at the golden fox.

"Are you saying that I'm weak? Just let me get my strength back and I'll show you just how weak I am!"

Shifting eyes crinkled in silent laughter. A slow smile spread across his face as the fox took in this human. Her angry glare brought back memories, thoughts that were like honeyed poison to his mind, a tantalizing snare which embrace his soul in its soft prison.

He shook his head and broke away from the train of thoughts. Not now, he can't give up now. He's gone so far to get here, and it is almost complete. He can't let her personality and appearance break through his resolve...

-

Biting back a string of curses Roviel shuffled across the ledge bordering an infinite abyss. Gritting her teeth against the urge to kill something the youkai glared at Youko's back. Or tried to; Kuwabara easily blocked her line of sight in this narrow outcrop.

"Well? Keep going thief! A story right now would be just the thing to keep our minds off this bottomless pit we are walking across."

"Fine. I just thought that you might need some concentration to cross this."

"Well you thought wrong kitsune. Now get talking."

Sigh...

"Her name was Shikari. I think Fate has been playing me, for she is nearly the same as Yuki in nearly every perspective. She held true to her word and tailed my brother and I for over a century. Eventually she joined us on our hunts and saved our hides not a few times. I think that eventually Shikari forgot the real reason she stayed with us. It was fun, if not very loud and painful, to be around her. We had such good times...

I don't know how it exactly all started. At first it was just a simple smile and occasional joke. But as time went on, I became more attached to her. It wasn't only me; Koruku was also trying to attract her attention..."

-

"So... you both liked this Shikari person?"

Koruku nodded, white gold ears twitching in the air. Perhaps she was going mad, but Yuki was starting to think that Youko's half-brother was as hot, if not hotter, than the thief. His polite manners and courteous ways reminded her very much of Kurama... Hm, interesting.

"Um... So what happened next? To Shikari, I mean."

The fox stared off into space. Then suddenly he started to laugh. A cold, spiteful laugh filled with regret and loss. This was a startling contrast to his appearance, all graceful and lazing and basking under the sun in sleepy nothingness. Shaking his head again the fox turned his attention out to the bright day outside.

"I was stupid, not telling how I really felt. Not saying those three little words, instead hoping that she would come to realize them herself. I did love her, more than anything Makai or any world could offer. But I was too scared, too selfish even, to tell her. Instead it hung between us; a silent anticipation, teeming precariously over the edge of emotion and logic. If only...

Then one day she just... At first I couldn't understand why, but soon it was obvious that she had deserted me for Youko. My brother with his charming ways and silver tongue told her what she wanted to hear, gave her what she wanted. She was happy, and because of that I did nothing but just stood by and watched. As long as she was happy, even if it was with someone else, I was content. As long as they gave her the attention and love and respect and devotion that she deserved.

I should have known better. After all, Youko was my brother. I should have known what he had planned out for her, like so many of the women who yielded to his delightful ways. But I refused to believe that he would do that, for she was special.

Looking back now, I wonder sometimes just how I could have been so naive. Perhaps because she adored him, that they seemed so content in each other's company, that Youko acted as if he was truly in love. And because I believed him, I accepted the pain of loss and congratulated them two from the bottom of my heart."

He came closer, the placid eyes liquefying Yuki's form in the amber pools. The smile which graced his face was eerie, a mix of both twisted pain and sadist delight.

"You do look so much like Shikari, do you know? Like her, you devoted your life to Youko. And like her, you thought the best of my brother, not knowing all the evils which have manifested under his name. And like her, you will both share the same fate, a fate tied with love and hate. But one thing is going to be different; Youko is not going to be the one who kills you..."

-

Light welcomed them from the end of the tunnel, a pure clearness of bright daylight so rare in Makai opening its embrace and lighting the cavern with its uplifting song. Shuffling out of the god forsaken cave, everyone blinked against this sudden change in brightness. When they did, a very strange sight greeted the group of rescuers.

They were standing in the middle of the mountain. Or be exact, a crater in the middle of a dead volcano. Before them lush woodland spread its way across the fertile ground. In the middle of this expansion was a house... Well, as Roviel eyed this cottage with a mix of confused amusement and dark sarcasm she couldn't for the world believe that a half-brother of Youko was so humble. I mean, the thief lived in a house the size of a small school! The youkai hoped that Youko was right and that Yuki was in the small house and very much alive.

The golden eyes held the forest in its gaze. It was exactly like how he remembered this place; the woods without a single leaf out of place. He needn't look to know that a small creek flowed in a hidden brook to his right and that it ran through the mountain before finally pouring down into the infinite chasm they had just passed earlier. But no, it _had _a base otherwise how could Koruku have found the bracelet, the bracelet his brother had given to Shikari, the bracelet she had worn as she died...

-

_He grinned at her. No, smirk was a better word. A fanged sneer of exasperated patience as Shikari stared at him in disbelief. By Inari, why can't this girl get it into her head already? He's already been explaining this over and over for god knows how long. Looked like he had to explain once again. Flicking away some annoying insect buzzing around him Youko sighed._

"_Look. It's all very simple really; I do not think this getting along. It would be better if you just forget all about this whole thing._"

_Shikari continued to stare at him, a mixture of emotions flying across her features from amazement to sadness before quickly masked over by a blank look._

"..._What do you mean? How could you say something like this?_"

"_Look, how many times do I have to say this until you get it? I do not like you; the last few days were nothing more than a mere flirtation on my part, nothing more. Why is it that you are the only female who doesn't understand? I thought you knew_..."

_The silver orbs closed, whether in pain or dawning of realization no one knows. But the eyes opened again, and this time the girl she was before was gone, replaced with a new soul, a soul of pain and hurt and anger and regret._

"_Of cause. How could I not have realized it earlier? Of cause you were just playing; you are Youko, after all. I_..._ Sorry, I was acting so stupid. Arg I must have been acting really silly and childish and all. Yes, I'll just go now. Thanks for telling me about it all._"

-

They were just in the middle of finishing off a very tasty lunch when Koruku's head suddenly rose. The furred ears flickered and the golden fox stood. Gulping down her mouthful Yuki blinked at the handsome fox. She's been here for two days, and in the two days Koruku had not only explained in detail the blood-feud between him and Youko, but also treated her with uttermost respect and care. If it wasn't for the fact that he's kidnapped her for some evil reason (the only thing she doesn't know about) Yuki would have found these last few days perfect in every way. So what's happened now?

"Who? Id oming amen?"

What she meant to say under the mouthful of fish was; What? Did something happen? But he understood anyways.

"I see that my half-brother has arrived. And he had brought company."

He stood before the table eyes looking into the distance towards the gulf.

"I had hoped that it would not come to this. Or at least not until the full moon is here... But I suppose it is inevitable; Youko has always been clever in his own ways."

He turned to Yuki, all the gentle kindness in his eyes gone. Regret still remained in his gaze, but even that could not soften the cold glitter of revenge.

"Fate had seen it that your destiny was cruelly entwined with ours. Please do not hate me for doing this; it is destiny."

-

As they approached the cottage in wariness the door suddenly opened. They all jumped, each person nervous in this paradise in Makai. As they watched, two figures came out from the shadow of the door. As he saw Yuki well and healthy Roviel, Kurama, Kuwabara and Youko all let out a mental sigh of relief. Hiei stayed poised, hand inches away from his katana as crimson orbs burned their way into the golden fox who had his claws tight around the woman's throat. So, this is Koruku, the thief's half-brother and reason for this ridiculous mission? The fire apparition crouched lower; well let's see just how cool the fox would look after he gets a taste of Darkness Dragon. And by the look of things his "team" had the exact same thoughts running through their mind. Whip, sword and glaive were all out as the former Reikai Tentais shifted their way so that they surrounded Koruku and Yuki. But the fox only had eyes for his half-brother, his attention focused solely on Youko and nothing else. Watching this, the fire apparition could not help but smirk. And so it all begins, once again...

* * *

What can I say? This is Yuki's plot; I'm just writing this thing. Seriously, I don't know what the bloody hell I'm writing here. But it's... um... necessary... I need this for something in Act Three, which is, if my calculations is correct, only two chapters away.

On a side note I couldn't resist putting in something from Naruto. The destiny thing was just too good. Mm... Neji... Who cares about Tenten; I'll idolize you from a golden pedestol for the rest of my life. Hehehe...

I'll update... soon. If you didn't know, I have a new fanfic out. It's actually quite fun really; take a look if you have an open mind and do not have a phobia of satirical humour. With so many tests and assessments at school as well as a very bad Writer's Block... well, you can probably guess. But I will update within... nine days. So review people! I'm waiting!


	20. Forgotten Dawn, Timeless Memories

Chapter Eighteen: Forgotten Dawn, Timeless Memories

Blood fell, splashed carelessly across the soft carpet of spring grass. The crimson droplets fell red where they touched; a bloody tapestry of ruby and emerald. Here, time did not touch this place, this shelter of death and pain. And here, as each non-existent second passed, yet another tiny piece of life passed back into the earth from where it came…

It didn't hurt as much as she expected, dying. It had, at first, when the Youki ripped through her body, tearing muscles and shredding insides. But when she saw the blood flow, red staining her body and hands, the pain left. Instead a strange peace came over her, light-headed and blank while staring at her shaking hands red with blood.

What… what was happening? The grass was so close to her face, she could smell the metallic scent of blood in her nostrils, taste it on her lips. Why was she on the ground? She tried to stand, but for some reason her body did not respond. She wanted to stand, to stand up and fight. They were losing; she could hear their ragged breathing, the slight stumbling of their stances. Somewhere a scream of pain reached her ears. She must get up…

Softness embraced her powerless form, helping her. She could smell the flowers, touch the whiteness, feel life. Who was this person? Her misted mind trembled to remember. It's there, just out of reach in her memory. She could see the forms, dark shadows shrouded in thick mist.

"Kurama, get over here now! Heal her damnit!"

Kurama? The name sounded so familiar…

"Thief, we can't hold him off much longer."

Thief? Ah yes, now she remembered the golden eyes gazed down at her. Youko, that was his name. The blooded lips curved into a tiny smile as she remembered. The name… it was important to her in some way…

"You know… your… ears are cute."

She had always wanted to say that, even since she first met him. The pointed ears, all furry and cuddly…

Someone… someone was trying to heal her. She felt someone trying to heal her wound. Silly them, it was no use. She knew that she was slipping away and no amount of help would do anything to stop that. A grin came onto her face as she laughed at the simpleton, but it soon faded.

"…It's so cold…"

She felt cold, was slowly losing feeling of her body. Was it winter, right now? She can't remember. No, it can't be winter. Winter was all white and pure. But she could smell roses, feel the grass, see the blurred mirage of color…

He embraced her. She could feel the heart-beat as he held her close. Safe, yes, that is the word. Now, as the mind drew ever deeper into the darkness, she knew that if there was anyone in this world she could trust, it was him. Had she ever told him, ever whispered to him that he was as important as the sun, the moon, the stars, the very air that she breath? Had she ever told him that, no matter what, no matter if the world ended, if the eternal cycle of life and death froze and broke apart, if the whole universe fell apart and disappeared, that she would always be with him? Did she ever tell him? She can't remember now, can't remember if…

"You…"

_If I had the chance…_

"Youko…"

_If the world were to end tomorrow…_

"I…"

_If I could choose a single moment, a single second, when time could stand still…_

"I…"

_I would choose now, this moment, this second…_

"I… lo…"

_Choose now, so I could tell you…_

Her mind sank into darkness. What was she going to say again? She couldn't remember. But as the last breath left her lips, she didn't worry…

_Tell you… that I love you…_

_

* * *

_

Someone, kill me. I can't seem to find my rifle, and my collection of weapons have been stolen by that god-forsaken thief. So I grovel here, before you, dear reader, and ask you for one simple thing; kill me. Why, you might ask? Easy; this chapter. Oh ye gods, I have never written, in all my life, something as pathetic and horrible and worthless as this. Look at it, it's damnation to fanfiction! I was tempted not to update again, considering that I had to write this if I was going to update. But in the end I did, purely for the fact that Yuki's owner would not let me off without writing a tragic death for her. And now see what happened? I _told _her to write this. Just because I was good at melacholy does not mean I'm good at romantic tragedy. This is seriously pathetic. And it's not even _good! _I'll just go and a rope to hang myself...


	21. Gates of Solace, Cycle Reborn

Riz: My, this is a surprise to say the least. I had no intention of updating anything for at least another two weeks, but hey, here I am now, with an eight paged thing that took me four hours to write. Ne, too lazy to go into details.

To Peeka-chan: (Ears still ringing from the three hour yelling) Oroooo. Feel... dizzy... But thank you so much. I did not think that it would be good, even Yuki's owner had critism of how I wrote her tragic death thing. It's good to know that at least there's someone who liked it.

To Asilin Kheldarson: Eh... Sorry about your dagger, Peeka-chan took it. (Sweatdrop) I updated, and here it is. Thank you for still following my story, however strange or weird things it had went through.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Gates of Solace, Cycle Reborn

Climbing out of the piled boulders Hiei wiped blood away from his cheek. Two ribs broken, the right arm most definitely fractured in several place. One lung felt punctured and internal bleeding was just around the corner. Legs... would hold, but for how much longer as he pressed their speed the fire apparition did not know. Gasping lightly for breath crimson glare traveled cross the battleground.

Damn that fox. Damn all foxes, for that matter. The furred race is troublesome at best, and this one proved to be the shine of its species. The hand holding his katana gripped the blood-soaked handle harder. Not that it would help; the sadist youkai had long lost feeling in his right arm during the struggle. But as blooded gaze swerved to those who were still on their feet a wry grin whispered across his face. At least he wasn't the only one; those two were losing by the yards for every passing second. Hn, that's one good thing he suppose; no one could say that he's weak because he's the first to take a break in the battle.

Something crashed to his right, slamming into a gigantic tree before falling to the ground. It was a hard hit, judging by the satisfying depth of the indent left on the trunk. Coughing as the lung desperately squeezed for air amber fell upon Kurama.

"Kurama, get over here now! Heal her damnit!"

The lips tugged at a grin. Here the youkai was within inches of her death and yet still have the strength to curse at the kitsune. Hiei chuckled dryly in his mind. Even if eternity ended, Roviel's temper would still not change. But the amusement soon ran out as he looked at Yuki.

The human was dying, not even Hiei was sure that _he _could have survived an injury that serious. Although Kuroku's sickle did not bite deep, the kitsune's immense Youki was more than enough to sign the contract for the human's death. He watched as Kurama tried desperately to heal the girl's wound. Blah, the kitsune should know better than to waste Youki on something that's impossible. Then, as the fire apparition's eyes were just about to turn away, they stopped and stared.

Youko Kurama, legendary Prince of Thieves of Makai and renowned for his cold ways, was fighting to hold back tears.

It wasn't the sight that astounded Hiei, but rather the actual meaning of it. Youko, _the _Youko… No, he wasn't meant to be like this, groveling before a fallen human female and crying. No, Youko was strong, calculating, and most of all, able to keep a clear line between reason and emotion. But here he was now, like _this_. How could someone watch and not feel pity, this former symbol of the perfect youkai acting like a _human. _All the former glory was gone, leaving behind only a sad old fox in it's place.Crimson flared at Koruko's golden form. It was all _his _fault, this youkai who with his actions degraded Youko to such pathetic lows. _He _was the cause of this; _he _was the one who have taken the thief's dignity away from him and shaming the silvered fox. Spitting out blood from his mouth a dangerous smirk touched Hiei's face. He'll pay, this fox. Heaving onto his feet the fire apparition spoke back to Youko as he passed.

"Thief, we can't hold him off much longer."

A simple statement, reminding the kitsune of the situation they were in, reminding him to collect his thoughts and fight. As shadowed fire danced along his arm, Hiei raised his head, smirked, and readied himself to die.

-

_Wow, I'm floating. Wonder if I'm dreaming or something… Hey, what the hell? Wha? Oh don't tell me. Oh fuckin hell; I'm dead!_

_I'm… I'm really dead… Does this mean I'm going to be taken to Reikai and be judged? Does that mean I'm just going to be one of those papers that Koemna's always stamping at? Is… is this it? Is this really the end? But I can't go! I want to stay here, with Youko. I don't want to leave him… I want to stay and spend the rest of my life with him! Not now, not when it had barely began! _

_Youko… Youko, are you crying? Are that really tears I see? You never cried before, not ever, not even when I was twisting your ear and yelling on the top of my lungs. I know that it must have hurt you, I am so sorry. But I'd never thought… never thought, that you would be hurt so much because of me. You were always teasing me just for the fun of seeing me mad. I'd always thought that… it was only a game to you. How could I have been so blind? How could I have not seen? I'm sorry that I never realized, that I never saw…_

-

No no no! Not again! Not this time! Tears of frustration formed as he tried desperately to keep Yuki alive. He failed last time, ran away to leave Yusuke to die, and by Inari he wasn't going to watch as another life dies before his eyes. But try as he might Kurama knew that there was no hope.

The battle was forgotten, all forms of life disappeared from his world. Time didn't exist, nor did the thought of hurrying and help those who were fighting against Koruku. No, there was nothing, there had nothing. It was all meaningless to him, to the lost soul.

Slowly the red glow of Youki died down from his hands and with it guilt and despair stretched out its leeching vines, tightening its suffocating hold over his soul. He didn't struggle; it was all his fault, he deserves whatever he was feeling right now, his soul was no… Arg!

The flow of dark thoughts broke as someone crashed into the kitsune, knocking the wind out of him. Lying stunned on the grass a flare of crystallized azure snarled at his sight. His lips twitched as a familiar growl reached his ears.

"I always knew I would be on top."

The weight lifted as Roviel pulled herself up from the kitsune who had acted as a very strategically places cushion for her fall. Pulling himself up with a groan the weary gaze turned to Roviel. Had it that hard? He hadn't realized just how much they gave in order to keep Koruku's attention and attacks away from Youko and him. Only now, as he stared blankly at Roviel did the kitsune truly comprehend how bad of a situation they were in.

Blood covered her; matted in her hair, dried on her skin, soaked into her clothing. Even her scent had been tainted with it; metallic sourness overriding the youkai's scent. Was it her blood or someone else's he didn't know. He could feel her Youki, sluggish thing on barely enough to keep the body from fainting, let alone attack. Anger boiled up inside, screaming at the self for wallowing in one's self-pity while others were throwing their lives away. As if she felt the scrutinizing, one eye turned upon the kitsune.

"Pft. If you think I'm in a bad shape, take a look at them."

He followed the direction of her nod. Oh Inari, how could he have been so blind as not to see this? How could he have not seen just how close to death they were? Hiei was completely and utterly drained, only sheer willpower kept the fire apparition from collapsing. Kuwabara… The sharp ears caught the sound of bones grinding as the human moved. His body was on the brink of total breakdown, the kitsune could almost imagine Kuwabara's heart giving out in his mind. How… how could he have missed? The hatred of self increased, anger raging in his vision as Kurama lunged forward at Koruku, red bathing his mind… only to stop in his tracks as a blur of white sped past him.

-

_Oh Youko no! Don't go! You don't know how powerful he is! I felt it, when he attacked me, I know! You won't win!_

_I know what Koruku's like, how powerful he is. I saw it, when he killed me. I saw the impassive mirror of his eyes, the steel intention in his mind. I saw it, and I know. He won't stop, not for anything or anyone. He has only death in his eyes, a cold logic of which emotion can not touch. There was no flicker in his eyes, no shadow of hesitation or uncertainty. There was no place of failure in his mind; the word "defeat" is alien to him. And because of this, he is going to win, because he knows nothing else _but _victory._

_Please Youko… Please…_

-

Steel flashed through the air as the whip came lashing down. Side-stepping, one hand rose to block the attack with that of its own. The kama flew from the hand, curving and slamming the whip out of it's assault. There it twirled back to Koruku, who caught his weapon casually as the fox inspected his opponent.

Landing from his failed attack Youko snarled at his half-brother. The thief was very much surprised at his sibling's strength he did not show it. Instead he circled Koruku, golden eyes never leaving that of his siblings.

"I see you've grown, brother."

Koruku did not respond to the remark and simply watched in seemingly leisure as the thief's hunting prowl. The two kama held loosely in each hand, twin curved blades shimmering dull grey under the clouded sky.

"And I see you've been training as well."

He continued to ignore the silver danger, bored gaze lingering on Hiei, who was using all his will just to breathe. The mind strayed for a moment, wondering just how much longer the dragon-master could hold on for.

"Have you been training all this time so you can take revenge upon me?"

It was now did Koruku's attention finally settled on Youko, a slow tug of the lips breaking out as he shook his head.

"No brother, you think too highly of yourself if you think that I had been raising my powers purely for the sake of defeating you. No, my eyes were turned onto other matters… You know the abyss back there?"

One curved blade pointed at the direction where the rescuers had came from.

"You know how it had always been told that there is no bottom to the gulf? How it is an infinite stretch of void which passes through all the levels of Makai and beyond, which if one fell through, they would eventually find themselves in a place where Time, Matter or Space existed?"

The pale gold eyes crinkled in laughter as Koruku tilted his head at Youko.

"I never did believe that, for nothing can go on forever. And so when Shikari gave her life to the chasm, I decided to follow…"

The thief suddenly gasped, one hand reaching into his white sash before fishing out a golden bracelet. Staring at the jewelry Youko gaped at his brother.

"Are you saying that you have reached the bottom of that thing?"

Now it was Koruku who circled around his prey, the calm voice ringing on with his story.

"How could I not have gone down, when she had also? I wanted to know that she hadn't disappeared into some matterless dimension as the rumors told. I wanted to know if she really did die that day and was not still alive. I wanted to know, if it had all really ended, for once and for all."

Something in Youko's mind clicked into place as realization dawned on the thief's face.

"Are you saying that you trained just to _see?_"

"Ah yea, that is exactly what I mean. Surprised? I don't blame you; I remember us trying to climb down the thing only to have nearly not our lives to the chasm.

But I _did _reach the bottom. How many centuries it had taken I've long forgotten. But I did reach the bottom. Down there it was a different world altogether. Youkais dwelled in the darkened depth, but after so many years, those who lived in the blackened world beneath have evolved away from those on the world's surfaces. They were like beasts, mindless creatures scuffling on all fours in the search of food and the eternal hunger for power. But powerful, the raw surge of Youki so strong that it was nearly impossible to breathe.

Death brings out the best or worst in everybody. Forced to defend my own life against those wretched creatures I created many new attacks in my fight against Death. It was surprising really, the many powers of Youki that are still to be discovered.

But that's not the point now is it? One day, while was walking through the catacomb of rocks I was suddenly attacked by a group of the youkais there. While fending them off I accidentally slipped and crashed into what seemed to be a pile of rubble. It wasn't when I had finished killing off the attackers and was preparing to leave when the scent touched me.

It was from beneath the pile of rocks, _her _scent which still lingered in its dying breath upon her remains. Although faint, I knew that it was hers. Then I found that, the bracelet which was her first share from a hunt. It laid there, dull and pitiful against the white of her bones. When I saw that, I knew my search was over, that all my questions were answered. And so it was my time to return to the real Makai.

It was startling, amusing almost, how my new-found powers had the kind of effects that they did on the general population of youkais. I was considered among the highest ranking youkais in known history, and in the question of pure Youki, was able to hold my own against those of lords of Makai. But I didn't care for any of that, power wealth or rank. So I drifted over the years, traveling wherever my steps took me, and for the first time in too many years, felt free. But that all changed when I heard the news.

She looked like Shikari, the rumors said. And from what I had picked up, had a personality which was alike as well. I could not help but ask if you had forgotten about Shikari and tossed her death from your mind. I couldn't let that happen, allow you to forget so easily and live out the rest of your life in carefree oblivion. So here you are, before me, with another death on your conscious, another life which have been cut short because of you."

-

Blinding light flared from Koruku, searing the eyes in pain. The light had not gone when the sound of a blade coming down to the left whistled through the air. He blocked before jumping away from the attacker while the eyes slowly saw color and shape again. Blinking furiously Youko growled at Koruku who was standing a short distance away, smiling faintly.

"See? I told you that I had learnt a few tricks while I was at down there. This is just one of them. I do not wish to kill you, nor any of your companions. What I desired to do is done, and that is all I want."

"Ha, that's rich for you."

Gasping for breathe Roviel pointed her glaive at Koruku.

"Now listen to me you bastard. I had to come all the here and risk my ass just to listen to your voice? You've got to be dreaming. I came here to help Yuki and I am going to help Yuki. Now that she's dead, I'll be sure to see to it that your soul would be so shredded that even those in Hell would be wincing when they see you. Got that?"

-

_I know I shouldn't be laughing at a time like this, but I can't help it. She's nearly dead herself and yet still somehow manage to find the energy to curse at her opponent who isn't even scratched. Heh, only Roviel could find the energy in a time like this._

_But even that won't help them. Her, Hiei, Kuwabara, Kurama, everyone's pushed to the edge of their limits. And even Youko won't last much longer. I can feel it, how his attacks are weaker, how his speed has slowed down, how it takes a tiny bit longer to recover each time._

_Go, leave! Run while you still can! Why do you still stay here; it's impossible for you to win. If you stay, only death would be the result. Please; leave now!_

-

Gritting her teeth Roviel set her foot deeper into the ground as she readied herself for the next attack. It came, the clash of steel against crystal-like material as one kama curved down upon her. Her arm twisted, pushing the blade to one side as the glaive was twisted down. The second blade swiped at her, seeking the opening which she had created just then. Grinning, Roviel sidestepped, moving enough so that the blade would pass before her…

Blood seeped out from the wound. Falling to her knees one hand covered the injury. How did that happen? The sickle clearly missed! How?

"Like I said before, I learnt not a few ways of manipulating Youki. The first is the ability to turn my power into light, as I demonstrated before. Aside from that I had also found a way to place my Youki inside unanimated objects, like my kama, for example. I can place Youki on the sickle blades so that they create to be an extension to the metal itself. Being invisible, the extensions can not be detected. Those who think they have evaded my attack, like you, are always caught by the Youki blades."

Amber orbs whirled onto him, a biting retort on her lips. Instead, blood fell in droplets as a cough wracked her body. What? The injury did not go that deep, and yet it felt as if her whole side was falling apart? It was as if something was eating at her from the wound.

"Let me… guess… Another trick…?"

"Quite. Right now the residue of…"

"Rose Whip!"

As another muffled cough erupted behind one hand, the lips curved slightly. The fox, playing hero. The amusement was cut short as blood seeped through the fingers. Ah well, as long as the red-head doesn't get himself killed…

-

Breathing hard Kurama threw away the slashed end of the whip. It was looking more and more impossible to defeat Koruku, but he'll have to try. Or at least, as the jade gaze saw Youko's stumbling form in the corner of his sight, give the rest of them enough time to pull together. Then again, perhaps he was dreaming.

"You interrupted my conversation in a very rude manner."

He whirled around to Koruku's slim form, green eyes narrowed in anticipation. The enemy had proved that he had many tricks up his sleeve. And judging by what the kitsune had seen earlier, Koruku's more of a close-combat fighter. Then if that's the case… He concentrated hard, gathering what remained of his Youki into his fists and felt with satisfaction when the energy took form. Opening his palm Kurama prepared for his attack.

"Petal Dance!"

The rain of blossoms swirled around his form for a moment before streaking down upon Koruku, a cyclone of red tearing down onto its prey. If it hits, then even someone as powerful as that youkai would not come out of it unscathed. Three, two, one!

The petals poured down in an eruption of ripping Youki. They fell about Koruku before engulfing the youkai's form within its deadly beauty. Did it work? Kurama took one hesitant step towards Koruku, but was suddenly thrown back by a blast of overpowering Youki. What?

-

Blooded glare narrowed as the blast pushed against his body. When the wind finally cleared Hiei's glare turned into a stare as he watched the figure of Koruku, apparently uninjured, grab a few remaining petals with his hand and crush them to red dust.

The others, were they alright? Kurama looked like the one who was hit the hardest by the blast; being the closest meant that the kitsune was blown head over heel and tossed carelessly near Kuwabara's painful form. Roviel and Youko faired better; the two managed to find shelter behind trees and boulders when the wind hit and was now regrouping with Kurama and Kuwabara. Well, a reunion was it? He smirked. Oh yea, he could just feel the love now, the fluffiness mixed with the scent of blood and death. Pathetic. Hn, might as well go join the idiots.

Stumbling over to the group Hiei tensed as he saw Koruku approach slowly. Up till now the golden fox had not once made a single advance on them but instead defended while they attacked. And if he had been able to defeat them simply while defending, then the fire apparition did not want to see how it'll turn out if Koruku was the only attacking and them defending.

"I see that none of you are going to voluntarily leave. Very well. I do not wish to do this, but you leave me no choice."

The youkai stopped before them, the impassive eyes looking down at the group. Raising one kama, Koruku smiled sadly at them.

"I am sorry that it had to come down to this. None of you deserve to die; Youko's the one at fault and he ought to be the only one who is punished. If all of our souls will be reincarnated, I wish that in our next life we shall be on friendlier grounds."

Youki gathered on the blade, a sphere of multi-colored clouds shifting and swirling in the bright depth. Seeing this Hiei stepped out, the heart squeezing painfully as dark fire swirled around his arm one last time.

"No Hiei, stop! You'll die!"

"Fox, do you think I'm as dense at orange-top over there? Of cause I know that."

His attention was now focused solely on the growing sphere of concentrated Youki.

"If that hit's us, we'll all be dead. Better to die fighting than to be eaten up by some cheerful ball of happy-looking Youki."

"…Stop."

Hiei glared at Kuwabara, the one who had commanded him to halt his attack. The glare turned into confusion when the human gently pushed Hiei to the side and planted himself in front of the group.

"What are you doing idiot? You'll get killed!"

Orange Reiki gathered ever so slowly in Kuwabara's hands, a final relic of the Spirit Sword.

"…Trust me"

Koruku raised his hand, the ball of energy hovering for a second before charging towards them.

"Spirit Sword!"

The orange blade flared bright as Kuwabara raised it high over his head and brought the blade crashing down. But the sphere of Youki continued its deadly course towards them. The sword faded from Kuwabara's hands.

"...Trust me."

A gap suddenly appeared before the human, black void of nothingness twisting wider with every moment. Koruku's attack came upon them, tearing the ground and air in its roaring wake then suddenly, disappeared, swallowed by the empty chasm. A gigantic explosion roared from the void, the out-rush of wind suddenly reversed and started sucking air into the hole. Before anyone could react, they were pulled into the unknown darkness.

-

_What? Help, I'm being sucked in! SOMEONE!_

Arg, hold one damnit! Oh, no no no!

_Help! Help!_

What is THIS? I don't want…

_Hel… Wait… why…?_

Why is this… so familiar?

_Is it death again? Was dying like this?_

The darkness… I've been here before…

_It' so cold… Wait, I'm feeling cold?_

Something's… changing…

_So heavy… I can't…_

Why is this so familiar?

_Where am I?_

_

* * *

_

Yes! (Dances) I've finally, _finally _finished with the whole tragedy death plot. Oh I feel soooooo happy!

This chapter was origionally going to be two chapters long. But I couldn't be bothered to write two chapters and since I felt guilty for posting such short chapters before this, I decided on one single long update. Anything else to say here? Um... Oh yea! I'm going to explain the whole void thing Kuwabara made with his sword and the explosion and everything. Please, endure for a week or two longer, please? I've got major tests coming up, so I'll have (_have_) to study, no matter how much I don't want to. (Sniff). Um... what else? I knew I was going to say something else... Ah, of cause; this is the last chapter of Act Two. I have named the three acts, and here they are.

Act One: Past

Act Two: Future

Act Three: Present

So the next chapter will be of Act Three, where (spoiler) you'll meet Roviel's real nature and life.

P.S: Anyone catch the pairing hint I put in here? (Wink)


	22. Under the Wandering Star

To Peeka-chan: Thank you.

To Asilin Kheldarson: Wow, you are extremely sharp. Yes, there is that possibility, but you'll have to wait and see. Hope you like this chapter.

Well, what to say? Welcome to the first chapter of Act Three, the final act. Sorry for the long wait, hope you don't hate this one too badly.

* * *

Chapter Twenty: Under the Wandering Star 

Fluffing its feathers against the oncoming of night breeze, the rook shook out one wing and began to preen the elegant pinions. Nudging one particular feather into place, the bird's silent labor was broken as someone or something was thrown out from the thin air and tossed straight at the rook's tree. With a startled squawk it flew, sable head turning down and glaring at the one who disrupted its daily routine.

It was one of _those_, those two legged creatures who could control the powers of this world like leviathans. They were intelligent enough, though the bird never liked them; the young of their species tend to use the likes of it as target practice for honing their abilities. The only reason the rook had been able to survive for so long was its sharp hearing and far eyesight that, coupled with the advantage of height, allowed the bird to see anyone that's coming its way.

But this time it was caught off-guard, surprised to its feathers when that creature had appeared out of no-where. As it flew now, the rook glared down at the intruder and squawked harshly at the body. No response. The bird gave a final warning cry and flapped away, not wanting to waste any more time with the intruder…

-

What in the name of…? The blind gaze stared up at the silver sky. Where was he? A wavering scent touched his nose, one much like fresh-cut grass and yet different. The eyes turned from the sky down to the earth. Golden flowers greeted his gaze, delicate petals of pale honey drinking in the pale grey light of the heavens. All around, these sunlit flowers graced the grounds. Scattered were frosted leaf trees shooting randomly out of the earth, crystal mint leaves bright in against the gold of the flowers. Silence was all that he could, no presence of either human or machinery midst the woodland voices.

His head hurt, badly. What was the last thing that he could remember? A groan escaped his life; fighting for his life, that's it. But what happened then? Something sucking him all, alack of Time, Space and Matter that made up Makai. A distant sound of water reached his ears. Yes, that should do, some water to clear his head. Although he didn't feel as near death as before the blank-out, not much energy was in him. Stumbling over to the shallow creek he gasped for breath, fighting off another tide of unconsciousness. Finally, the water. Falling to his knees, the sparkling cold hit his face as the whole head plunged into the water. Coming up with a spray of shimmering droplets, the unsteady gaze glanced at the rippling water…

And froze.

Seconds past by, hours even to his numb mind. The eyes stared at the reflection in the stilling waters, unable to tear away from the swimming image. The mind screamed silently at this. No, it can't be! It can't! The water, that's it. It's because of the waves and the strange sunlight, that must be the reason. The trembling vision stumbled away from the water and back onto himself.

No wounds showed; the open flesh leaking blood only a few moments ago were all gone, healed. The only evidence that they ever existed was the blood-soaked clothing and large rips in the fabric. His movements, they too have returned. Bones which were broken beyond repair became whole and solid again. But he didn't notice that. No, he didn't notice any of those thing. Instead the mind was somewhere completely different, screaming at what it had just comprehended. And at that moment, over-run with fatigue, loss of blood and now struck with this new realization, Hiei Jagenshi toppled back in a dead faint.

Above him, a bird passed by, squawking. Perhaps it's just the author's imagination, but it was almost as if the bird was laughing…

-

Voices surrounded his awakening senses, alien voices blabbering in some language that he couldn't quite grasp. The voices were too loud to his head, all hammering away. Squeezing his eyes tighter, Youko groaned and pulled his arms to cover his head. Wrong move. The voices stopped for one split second, as if hanging motionless in thin air, before crashing down onto the floor with a very loud bang. Whimper at the amplified level of noise the thief buried his head further into the soft sheets. The mind was all a blur; all he knew now was to get away from the noise and try to back to sleep. Someone pulled back the blanket, this resulting Youko yelping as bright light greeted his eyes. Looked like the thief's not going to be resting anytime soon…

One golden eye peeked open, followed quickly by the other when Youko realized that he needed both eyes to see properly. At first it was all large lumps of moving color, but as he squinted and peered, the shapes slowly took form. Soon it became clear where the source of noise had been coming from.

The first thing that came into his mind when Youko saw the women was how beautiful they were. There were three of them, a tiny number to what the thief had in his head, considering all the noise that the three had made. They sat on the right side of his bed, each with an expression of something between awe and pure joy. This, as the thief's mind noticed, made them all the more attractive.

The blond one, the one who had pulled back the sheets, reminded his of a lithe feline. The thick golden strands fell down her back and before her face, partly covering hooded eyes of claret red filled with lazing danger. She smiled at him now, a slight upturn of the full lips, the gesture suggesting much more than what it showed. Her face suddenly disappeared from his view as someone pushed before the blond and pushed her grinning face up to Youko's. There was this openness about the girl, whether it was her tomboyish hair-style, the wide copper eyes filled with childish curiosity, or simply how she widely she smiled. Or at least that's what he _would _have noticed about her, if not for the girl's rather… extravagant chest pushed up at his as well. Youko scrambled back on the large bed, if not out of politeness then at least to be prevented from suffocation by those things. Luckily he was saved by the third member, one with her inky green hair done up in intricate patterns and held herself with a very regal air. The woman sighed and pulled the girl back in her seat before giving Youko an apologetic smile. He grinned back, a rather weak gesture, but a nice one nonetheless. This seemed to have pleased the noble lady, for she let out a sigh of relief before turning her undivided attention onto the thief.

"Neso arkira dylem?"

The thief opened and closed his mouth, the jaws moving without any sound coming out from it. Try as he might, Youko could not understand one single syllable from that sentence. In the end the thief gave up and went for the universal sound of confusion.

"…Eh?"

The third lady frowned slightly at this while the other two bit back laughter. Stifling her giggled, the energetic girl cleared her throat and spoke very slowly.

"Nes kelinin Kimaries vos?"

The thief finally found his voice and shook his head at the girl.

"Sorry. I do not understand what you are saying."

The girl squealed in joyful surprise at his response, the sudden action scaring the daylights out of Youko. The blond turned a curious eye onto Youko while the regal one saw the frown leave as realization dawned on her face.

"Nes kelinin Palien. Jos cal Inoseki lai."

The energetic girl nodded at this and bolted out of the door, slamming it behind her. Wincing at the loud bang, Youko took a deep breath and tried to remember how he got here. He remembered the fight, remembered that blast coming towards them, remembered Kuwabara cutting the space before them and a large hole appearing. He remembered seeing blood curving through the air as Koruku pulled his blade from Yuki's body. Yes, he remembered now…

"Um… My… name is… Galdrinal."

Youko's head snapped up, the broken but understandable words breaking him out of the dark memories. The thief stared at the green-haired woman, the one who had sent the girl away for something. Was that…, was that Japanese he had heard just then? The youkai could not believe his ears. She understood Japanese? Oh by the heavens, Lady Luck had not deserted him after all. Kicking himself out of the sheets Youko scooted over to the edge of the bed, eyes bright as they focused on the woman.

"You speak Japanese?"

The woman… Galdrinal, frowned.

"Sorry. I know little Palien."

Palien? What in Inari's name is Palien? …Wait. When he spoke Japanese just then, Galdrinal replied that she speaks little Palien… Palien… is it the equivalent of Japanese? The thief's mind was recovering quite fast; already it had regained nearly all of its usual wit and brain.

The door burst opened as two figures entered the room. One was the girl, the other he did not know. The newcomer walked briskly over to his bed and offered a hand to him.

"Welcome. You speak Palien, right? So, my name is Inoseki and may I just say that it's an honor to meet you."

Youko took the offered hand, smiling and nodding politely as the eyes captured this Inoseki. The dark red hair was pulled into a long plait which swung as she marched over. Short and a little on the chubby side, Inoseki was like a weed when standing to the other three ladies. That is, until he saw her eyes. Strange thing they were, twin seas of ever-shifting mercury adorned by a scattering of bright sapphires. They held a motherly warmth in those metallic pools, and Youko knew on instinct that he could trust this woman.

"So? How do you feel? Are you alright? We found you unconscious by the road and there's blood on your clothing, but we couldn't find any wounds or possessions on you. Do you need anything? Is there something that we could possibly help in?"

The burst of questions saw Youko slowly edging away from Inoseki. She was nice enough, but a little on the scary side of things. But she was the host, or that's what he had concluded from casual way she leaned against the bedpost. The thief blinked at her questions. Something that they could help in? Literally thousands of answers swarmed into his mind, answers of food, money, pain-killers for his head. But for now, there was only one single thing that he needed, and that was…

"Inoseki? Could you possibly tell me this; just where am I?"

-

Ow that hurts. The arm moved slowly. It felt so heavy… Actually, the whole body felt heavy, even the eyelids.

What was she lying on? The thing's digging into her back so badly. Urg… Rolling off the slab of stone that was the cause of her back pain, the skylit eyes squinted down at the ground. Nice; all rocks and dried dust. Her clothing must be in terrible shape… She wanted to get up, but everything about her felt as if the world's gravity had concentrated on her alone. She can twitch her fingers, and her eyes were open, but there was not one ounce of energy left for her to move anywhere else.

Ok, fine. Calm down. First thing's first; what the hell happened? Her short-termed memory was, at best, bits and pieces floating around. Groaning at the injustice of the world, the wandering eyes suddenly saw something in the distance. Buildings. Or at least she guessed they were buildings. To her befuddled mind, buildings meant people, which mean a proper bed to drop her sorry self into. So, with the incentive of sleep on her mind, she somehow managed to pull her body up from the ground and start to walk towards civilization.

It was some time after, when she was dragging herself into the town or, by the looks of things, city, that Yuki suddenly realized something. What it was should be very obvious to the reader, for how can a ghost be walking into a city? Or to be more precise, how can a ghost have a solid body? Her first reaction was that she was in Reikai, just not in King Enma's palace. Then as she passed by a shop window, in came the second realization, and with it, hyperventilation and shaking the life out of some poor guy that just so happened to pass her.

The police came; someone noted them that there's a maniac woman out on the streets dressed in blood-soaked rags and yelling strange things. Someone tried to communicate with her, but it's apparent that the woman doesn't know any Kimaries. This, in all forms, made this even more confusing. But first thing's first; securing the woman and bring in her for questioning…

"TELL ME WHY THE HELL DO I LOOK DIFFERENT? WHERE IS THIS RETARDED PLACE? SOMEONE ANSWER ME!"

Now a normal person, after a minute or so of talking to someone who doesn't speak you language, would most likely come to the realization that what they are saying is not understood by the other people. In most cases, one would cease trying to make the others understand by screaming each word out and try using hand gestures, or find someone who does know their language. Now, especially in another foreign country where one does not know the rules or ways of the place, they would not generally try to make a scene or otherwise be dealt with because of their behavior. But that's for someone who knows how to keep a cool and logical mind when all arrows points to the direction that they are insane. Yuki, as the author is sad to announce, lacks the cool and logical mind. Instead she grabbed strangers by the collar and demanded to be told where she was. The author does not know, whether by Luck or a cruel joke of Fate, but the new body that Yuki had came with a very loud voice…

"Daiko! Seth neso, darc."

Her head whipped around to the commanding voice. To her utter surprise (she was too busy screaming at her victim to notice) a group of people in uniforms have surrounded her. They looked professional, very much stern and police-looking in attire very similar to that of the police uniforms they have back in Japan. But instead of black, the color was a dark but bright blue. Each had a rapier to their side, and each also held a weird looking device at her, something which reminded the girl of some old-fashioned pistol. She let go of her victim, who ran for his life. Seeing that she was surrounded with gun-looking things, Yuki groaned.

"Just my luck, isn't it? Being surrounded by weirdos with guns."

At this, the man who spoke before frowned at her. She glared back.

"What?"

"So, you speak Palien? Rather crude, but still understandable."

Now it's Yuki's turn to frown, or in her case, stare.

"You speak Japanese?"

The "police" who had surrounded her lowered the guns as the man waved a hand at them. His frown did not fade when Yuki answered, rather it deepened. Japanese? What was that? He didn't know. She looked suspicious, this woman, what with her torn clothing full of blood. She didn't know one single word of Kimaries, so how was she able to reach here, alone and without any help of translation? A quick glance showed that this girl didn't carry anything in the way of personal belongings. Was she a fugitive? But then why would she be making such a big scene? Someone who was using an illegal Road? Then why is she surprised by being here? Other theories surfaced in his head, but firstly…

"You look lost. Would you mind coming back with us and explain things in detail there?"

-

"…And then I was sucked into this big hole that Kuwabara, the guy with the sword, made. Then I ended up here."

Sitting in a very comfortable chair, Yuki sipped on some cold water as she recounted her story to Tainuki. It was by pure luck that the head of his squad knew Palien; otherwise Yuki would have been in a lot more trouble. For the past hour he had sat there in his office, listening intently to the girl's story. Now, as Yuki sat there fidgeting from boredom, the officer were given a very hard choice.

What to do with this girl? The fact that she obviously came through an unknown Road from a yet to be discovered world meant that, by regulations, he ought to send her to those in charge of Roads in the capital and let them handle it. There, the specialists would take no time in seeing if what Yuki told of was the truth or for some reason this was all a lie. It didn't sound like a lie though; the man have survived for over two centuries trusting in his instincts, and this time his instincts told him that what she said was real. But something in the girl's story intrigued him, puzzled the man greatly…

"…So, could it be possible that your other friends have also come through the hole?"

Yuki nodded, oblivious to the troubled turmoil of his mind.

"Most likely. I mean, I was a ghost and I got dragged in. Imagine how someone who actually weights something would react to that much wind?"

He nodded, while the mind continued to think. If what the girl said was true, then that means… Was it possible? It's been nearly one hundred and seventy years… If he's going to hand her over, then that means he would never know. Yes, it's selfish, but if it's true, then… Tainuki sighed. The less people who know about Yuki the better. So for now…

"Hayate Yuki. I am sorry to inform you that you are under arrest for illegally passing from one dimension to another. But since this is an accident, no charges will be put forward. I will, however, have to keep you in jail for a few weeks before we can figure out what to do with you. So for now… Candidates."

At his call, the two candidates who had been guarding his door came in. With a slight nod from Tainuki, the two took a hold of the protesting Yuki and shuffled her towards the cell. Letting out a heavy sigh, Tainuki leaned back and let his mind wander…

"Sir! We have another report, this one of some man who witnesses claim to have surfaced alive in a river."

Tainuki sighed. Why did he even take this job?

-

Chocking on the water, Kuwabara heaved himself out of the water with the help of a few strangers. Collapsing on the gravel, the man took in great gasps of air. Ah glorious air, how I love thee. There he stayed for a moment, thinking.

Was it the water? He didn't know. What Kuwabara did know, though, was that he had changed. The dark claws which had riddled his soul for so many years were gone, cleansed from his mind. He felt like the old him, the him which terrorized the streets and beat Yusuke up and defeated elder Toguro brother. Yusuke's death, the destruction of Nigenkai, the knowledge that humans are dying and it's because of his weakness; these things which had plagued him for so long were gone, as if they belong in a completely different world from this. Speaking of which… where was he?

Golden light flared to his right. Rolling over, Kuwabara scrambled up as what looked like a squadron of police suddenly appeared where only a moment before, there was nothing but thin air.

"Yea, what do you want?"

One of them stepped forward, an older man who looked as if he was in charge. The man eyed Kuwabara with a critical eye.

"Tell me, what is your name?"

Kuwabara halted. What the hell did they want his name for? The man shook his head.

"Kazuma Kuwabara. Why do you wanna know?"

The police looked none too pleased with his manners.

"Could you please come with us? We have a few questions to ask you."

Kuwabara grinned at this. It's been so long since he felt any emotion except for rage and anger. Planting his feet solidly apart, the man smiled at the police.

"Yea? And what if I don't want to come? What ya going to do?"

Tainuki sighed inwards. This was Kuwabara, no doubt. The same one who Yuki said created the Road to this world. If so…

"Then I'm sorry, but we have to take you by force."

"Oh yea? Well bring it on! Spirit Sw…"

Tainuki sighed, the index and ring finger of his right hand tracing twin crescent lines in the air. The symbol flared gold before disappearing. Kuwabara collapsed dead, as if someone's hit his head with a sack of lead. Turning to his men, Tainuki issued out the orders as he prepared to return back to his office.

"Take him to the same room as that crazed woman from before; I'll get to those two later, they seem to be along the same lines. See to it that both he and the woman receive proper care and be on the lookout for any other suspicious figures."

He must organize everything, and soon. It appears that what Yuki said was true, and if so, then… Yes, he must organize everything now; get all the messages sent out to the right people… The man sighed again; this was going to be one long night…

-

Strolling along the aisles of the busy grocery shop, Kurama allowed his hands to do the work. He's been in this town for only a few hours, but in those few hours the red-head had learned not a few things. The fox, being his usual cool calm self, was able to mingle pretty well with the native folks. He had tried looking for the others, but the kitsune had no idea where to begin, let alone if they landed around the same place as he had. If not, or if they are in some other world, then…

The fox's stomach growled. Kurama grinned to himself and lingered down the fruit section, deft fingers running lightly over the food. Yet another surprise; all his wound were healed when Kurama had waked up, including his hands. Did someone heal them for him, or did coming to another world have something to do with it? Either way, the kitsune was sincerely grateful for this change. Now if only the others faired half as well as he had…

Oh, this one looked nice. He wasn't sure what it was, but it looked like a pear of some sort. From long practice, one hand whisked up and before anyone had seen it, the food was gone. Smiling happily to himself Kurama walked leisurely out of the doorway and into freedom…

"Thara daiko!"

Kurama whirled around at the yell and was startled to find the shop owner glaring at him in a very hostile manner. Kurama gave a hesitant smile to the owner whose bulk swelled up in anger before stalking towards him. Oh no, how did he find out? The fox was sure no one saw his actions… Which leaves one choice; run.

Sadly, that was not the case. It was a very narrow street and people were already crowded around when the owner yelled. Which means… Wincing at his own hesitant decision, Kurama gave a silent apology to the owner before taking in a deep breath and…

"Rose Whip!"

Nothing came. No flower, no rose, and definitely no whip. Kurama was staring at his hand, not believing that such a simple attack could not appear. What was going on? The owner, on the other hand, was looking more than happy as one meaty arm came down and took hold of the kitsune's clothing. Very soon Kurama found himself dragged and dumped in what he could only guess is the police station, where one very angry store owner was, most likely, judging by the redness of his face, demanding some horrid punishment for this thief. The police in charge looked bored, and after calming the owner down, took a hold of Kurama and marched him down through a corridor and deposited the thief (now without his food) in a small but comfortable room. It was a cell, one with modest furnishing, a small but clean bathroom (and a very strange toilet, as the fox noted), and a nice large window on one side. Kurama frowned. A window; won't that be easy to break out off? And, as he realized later, the door to the cell didn't have any locks. But try as he might, the kitsune could not break the glass on the window or shove the door open. Soon he gave up altogether, and sitting on the chair provided, mused over a much more important thing.

Where was his Youki? Try as he might, Kurama could not summon up even a tiny hint of red in his hands. Not only that, but he can't feel anything either. The fox knew that he had spent much energy to fight against Koruku, but that was no reason that he couldn't feel anything. So why? As the strange sky turned from misty white to silver to black, the fox pondered on what will happen to, not only him, but everybody else…

-

"Sir, someone else came in just then."

Shuffling through the stack of paperwork, Tainuki didn't bother to raise his head as he listened to the candidate's report.

"Hm? What's it about?"

"Oh nothing much sir. A thief trying to steal food. He was a docile one though, didn't say a word when I put him in."

"Mm, really?"

"Yes. He was also dressed strangely. Although the clothing looked very rich and well cared for, there were lots of small rips and cuts on it. Not only that, but it seems that he's a deaf; didn't react to a single thing the shop owner or I said."

Tainuki halted in his writing, a frown on the man's face. Could it be?

"Naris."

"Yes sir."

"Take me down to meet this thief."

"…Yes sir."

-

The sky. She frowned. Was it that late already? There was silver streaked in the faded blue heaven. The eyes gazed up, malachite green swirling currents against pebbles of gold. Was it that late already? She better get home then…

Memories came to her, images and words long lost in the depth of her mind. They came, and with their awakening, she remembered. The inky orbs closed, laughter, pure and unbound came bubbling to her lips. This was who she really was; this was who Roviel Windred really was. Shaking locks of russet red from her eyes, Roviel opened her arms as if to embrace the heaven and earth at once.

"I'm home…"

* * *

Yep, it's finally here, after such a long time. How will Kuwabara, Kurama and Yuki survive? What's Tainuki worried about? It would be my pleasure if you could tell me what you think about this chapter, so thank you, once again, for actually taking the time to read all of it. Till next update then, byez! 


	23. In Her Eternal Grace

Riz:

How many month has it been since I last updated this fanfic? A long time, definitely. Things been happening to prevent me from writing, all too many to mention. Let's just say that I've had a run of bad luck lately..

Thank you guys for reviewing. I truly appriciate that you are still reading this story despite how long it's taken. And because of that, I've mad this chapter extra long. Hope you find this update intruging, as this one raises a hell of a lot of questions that should be answered shortly.

* * *

Chapter Twenty One: In Her Eternal Grace

Information extracted from the Public Archives:

_Country: Rukailia_

_Level: Third of Berkana_

_Governing City: Salitan_

_General Information: To many, Rukailia was known as the "Second". This strange title comes from the fact that the country could almost, but not quite, come first in every factor of its specialization. Technological advances, scientific research, agricultural harvesting and maintenance, economical growth and stability, military power; all of these things and much more are all ranked second. Many country management analyses have shown that if Rukailia was to focus more on one particular factor while sacrificing a few others then there would be no problem for the country to take that long awaited top rank._

_However, when the suggestion was handed down to Rukailia, the citizens and many of the other countries protested against the action. Their reason was quite simple; being second at everything and first at nothing was what made Rukailia unique. To force the country into specializing would no doubt destroy the unique reputation it had held for so long. And so, with such a large amount of protesting, Rukailia is what you see today._

_Being the middle level of Berkana, the weather could be termed paradise. Eternally spring, many of those who move to the country do so to evade harsh winds of autumn or bitter coldness of winter. Of course, if one has a tendency to lose one's nose, eyes and lungs to stuffiness, tears and chocking or coughing when in contact to various blooming plants, then perhaps one might reconsider an alternative._

_In terms of the residence, the country harbors an amazing mixture of culture and citizens. Considered to be the one of the most diverse place, many come to live there. The weather is a main factor, but the other tantalizing lure is large business opportunities, both in terms of investors and buyers. With business comes development in the standard of living for the country. Education, health, law and such have all been upgraded to the finest anywhere. But the easiest way to see that is in the central point of Salitan, where stands the largest structure in the country._

_The National Archive holds at least one copy of every official text ever released. Near every piece of information could be found within the diamond re-enforced marble walls. Birth, death, medical records, stories, poems, weekly news, auction results, everything. That's all for the public though, but if one has the authorization then there is absolutely nothing that they could not know._

_But a word of warning; for everything good and perfect there is always a dark shadow underlying the grand beauty. To the majority Salitan is a great place to relax or find what one is searching for. But to those who knows, the governing city of Rukailia is home to the largest organization of Unauthorized anywhere. If one finds their wallet suddenly stolen and is extremely stubborn in pursuing the whereabouts of the criminal, they just might find their wallet returned on the first night and all their assets suddenly disappearing by the next morning. Any effort to trace the culprit's movements would be in vain, for only the best can be found in Salitan._

-

Flipping through the pages, Youko grinned to himself as the words "stolen" caught his eyes. It would appear that this world was not as alien as he had first though. Reaching the end of the page, the thief added yet more notes to the mental "Important (And Interesting) Thing to Remember" list.

So much to learn, so little amount of time. Barely three days here and already the youkai's head felt light from all the information he had been presented with (forced upon, more like it.) by his hosts. Speaking of which…

A knock on the door announced the entry of one of the said host. Inoseki's head appeared from behind the door and blinked at Youko. The woman smiled as she saw what the thief had been so engrossed in. The smile widened as Youko's golden eyes blinked at the sudden intrusion. Blinking out of his daze, the white haired youkai had a surprised, almost childish look on his face; such a cute expression compared to his normal cool politeness. Hiding her thoughts from Youko's look of confusion, the woman wandered into the room.

"So, I guess you find all of this information to of interest?"

A smirk touched his face as one hand reached up to brush away silken lock.

"It's alright, enough to pass the boredom."

His eyes, though, said otherwise. The light in them had that same unrestrained eagerness that one see in children when they are given a mysterious present, all wrapped and nicely hidden beneath layers of packaging. Inoseki raised one brow at Youko's nonchalance response. Although it;s only been three days, the woman had come to know Youko's personality as well, if not better, than himself. Well, that's what you get for being nearly six hundred years old.

"So I presume you won't be interested in something like, oh let's say, learning how to use your powers?"

Furred ears shot up as Youko's attention snapped towards her. Inoseki bit down on a chuckle. She loved to do that, watching his ears flicker with surprise and happiness. The thief might think that no one can read his thoughts and actions, but obviously the youkai's brilliant mind must have underestimated his host. Like most people, Youko only saw Inoseki as a motherly and authority figure; someone who made sure everything's done within schedule and to the standards. She doesn't blame him though; after all, showing people what they want to see and telling them what they want to hear had been her job for the past five hundred years. But that's another topic, for now…

"Come on then; be at the courtyard library in ten minutes."

-

:Seritsu, come quickly! I found an unconscious person out the back!"

Sound of running thundered through the ground.

"Alive?"

"Still breathing, strong pulse. Must've just fainted."

"Blood loss? Just look at the cloth!"

"Possible, but I doubt it. There aren't visible wounds at all."

A pause. A flicker of consciousness sparked in the suffocating slumber.

"Why did the alarms set? They should've gone if any one trespasses without permit."

"I don't know. The Words are working; I checked on them a moment ago."

The voices. What are they saying? Why are they so loud? The consciousness began to die out.

Another pause, longer now.

"… Could this be a trap?"

"Maybe. But _they _won't be this stupid to think we'd fall for something this obvious."

"…"

"Why don't we go inside first? It's not safe out here, even with surveillance up."

"And we are taking…"

"Yea. If it's a trap then we'll get to the bottom of it. If not, then I'd love to know how this brat got past my alarms."

Shadows. Sensation of being moved. The darkness closed in again.

-

"So, how are you feeling? Is this place of adequate furnishing? I would move you out of the jail, but I'm afraid protocol demands that you two have to stay in official supervision until everything's sorted out. So until then I'll do my best to make you two comfortable."

Kuwabara laughed in embarrassment and waved a hand at Tainuki.

"Na, don't worry about it. You do what you need to do sir. We won't want to get you in trouble with those higher up, you being so nice to us and all, even looking for our friends and stuff."

"Speaking of which…"

Seated opposite Tainuki, Yuki suddenly spoke up.

"Have you found any information on them yet? I mean, they couldn't have gone far, right? After all, Kuwabara and I landed pretty much in the same area, so…"

The azure gaze wavered slightly as Tainuki sighed and shook his head slowly.

"I'm afraid it's just not that easy."

Yuki frowned and leaned closer over from her seat. Strands of crimson fell on her nose. Startled, it took Yuki a moment to remember about her new form. It had taken two hours of convincing, reasoning and detailed explanation from Tainuki that yes, this is exactly what she was supposed to look, and no, there was no way he could revert her back to her old form. Not that she complained much, the woman didn't mind her current appearance. Eyes of bright azure contrasted nicely with the streaks of rich ruby in locks of velvet black. Still, it takes a while for her mind to remind the woman that this new body was indeed hers. Tucking the offensive lock back where it belonged, Yuki bit down on a sigh of worry. Even if it's been three days, but a bunch of strangers shouldn't be that hard to spot, right? So why isn't there any hint of the others? As if sensing the confusion in her mind, Tainuki shifted in his seat and sighed again.

"It's by pure luck that you and Kuwabara appeared so close together. Then again, when you think closely, Kuwabara was fished out of a river, one which runs for miles on a very strong current. The fact is that Kuwabara might have appeared some distance away and by pure chance pulled himself out where he did.

Roads are not as easy as they appear to be. A hair's difference in the portal might mean hundreds of miles, dimensions apart, even. There's no guarantee that your friends are even here, in this dimension."

Tainuki winced inwards as he saw the hope in both Yuki and Kuwabara's eyes come crashing down with those words. He wanted to tell them the truth of the matter that in actual fact that one of their friends is in fact, right this moment, merely two corridors down from their room. After all, it's not these two's fault they were involved in this whole game. But he knew, he knew how important these two were to him and his cause. Although against every moral fiber in his body, Tainuki could not allow this opportunity pass. And so, he did the thing he hated most; he lied through his clenched teeth to the two.

He left Yuki and Kuwabara, leaving behind fake words of assurance that he'll send any news of their friends over as soon as any are reported to him. Walking back towards his office, the man's moody silence was broken by a hesitant question from his oldest sub-ordinate.

"Yes, Naris?"

The man in question flushed and coughed nervously. It's rare to see the normally grounded and calm Tainuki to be so dark. But as always, Naris's curiosity got the better of him. Besides, he knew the Superior better than anyone else and knew when not to cross the line.

"Sir, I was just wondering… Why did you place those two in the same room and yet made sure that the other one… Kurama, is being kept in isolation?"

Tainuki rubbed the bridge of his nose. The man felt a headache coming on. Must be revenge for him lying to those two…

"Naris."

"Yes, Superior."

"Tell me what you think of that Kurama person, judging just from what you heard from Yuki."

Tainuki was moving slower now, and Naris unconsciously slowed his own pace so to remain a full step behind the older man.

"Personally? I think he would make an excellent spy. The man sounds like one with a sharp wit and not the type to lose his head in a tight situation. He seems to have great analyzing abilities, of allies and enemies alike."

Tainuki nodded.

"Indeed. Which is exactly why I need to keep his separate. If Kurama was to reunite with Yuki and Kuwabara, then with their combined information Kurama might be able to realize that something's amiss. I do not doubt that one with his mind would see through this façade."

A sharp turn brought the two to their destination. Shuffling through the papers on his desk, Tainuki grinned to himself.

"And I've no doubt you are just itching to ask me why I allowed placed Kuwabara and Yuki in the same room?"

Standing at the door, Naris chuckled at this.

"You know me too well, sir."

"It's not something that takes much consideration, but a happy customer is an oblivious customer. If Yuki and Kuwabara were to be left on their own, it would be very possible that both of them might cause trouble, enough to be noticed by other authorities. Placing the two together is so that both are at least slightly calmed with the familiarity of things… Naris."

"Yes, Superior."

"I need to make a report to higher authorities. I won't be gone long, one day at most. I trust you to look after things here while I'm away."

"Yes sir."

-

Freedom! That holy angel upon celestial wings who cradles the soul and lifts them beyond the eternal heavens. How long had it been since she was free from rules, from boundaries and prohibitions? Too long, that's all that mattered. So long in fact, that for a moment the mind was at a loss of what to do. That changed quickly when smoky green gaze looked down at the body. A snort of disgust sounded in the air. Only moments before had the mind was wandering aimlessly, seeking for some sort of direction. Well, now it had found one; the need to find some wearable clothing before seeking out a wholesome meal, a hot bath and a soft bed with fluffy pillows. The lips twitched in a smile. One only had to nudge the mind to set it rolling nicely down the road of life…

-

A light flashed before her desk, signaling the arrival of a customer. Turning around, Areth was about to greet the customer before the word of welcome died on her lips. By heavens, who is this person? Marching into the store as if she owned the place, the customer's confident gait only accented the bloody state of her garments. The woman strolled up to the counter and raised one brow at Areth.

"What?"

Areth suddenly realized that she was staring. Blinking and taking a step back, the girl regained her composure. Putting on the customary smile of politeness, Areth bowed her head to the woman.

"Welcome, _syl. _I hope you find whatever you need here in this store. If you need any help please call for me. But…"

As she was speaking, the woman had already wandered away, stalking down the room with a critical eye on all the clothing on display. Areth cleared her throat and began again.

"But I must warn you, it's the shop's policy that which ever article of clothing the customer damages, whether by accident or on purpose, they must pay for."

The woman stopped her pacing, squinted at a pair of calf-high boots, picked them up and continued walking.

"Are you implying that I might not be able to afford what's in your shop?"

Areth startled at this. Arg, why did all the others have to be on their lunch break? She's here all alone, to fend for herself against this strange woman.

"I… Of course that's not what I meant! It's… It's a routine warning we must tell each customer, just in case."

"A routine… Of course, how silly of me."

The note of laughter in those words was too hard to miss. Areth bit her tongue and tried again.

"Um… If you don't mind, could you please tell me what exactly you are looking for? I might be of service to you."

One hooded eye shifted their lazing gaze onto her. Areth gave another smile and shifted nervously on her feet. A moment passed, before.

"If you really want to help me. Actually, I have no idea what I'm looking for. Something simple, clean and is suitable for Berkana's weather. Any ideas?"

-

"And that all adds up to… Do you want the rounded figure or the actual price?"

The woman waved a hand.

"Rounded price. I hate spares."

"Sure. Then it comes to… seventy two _cres. _And you shall be paying…?"

"By Book. Can I have it?"

Areth passed a leather-bound book and silver tipped pen over to the woman. Taking them, the customer opened the book up, flipped through the pages until she found a blank one and signed something on to there. The book stayed open, a sign that the payment had been transferred. Returning the tome to Areth, the woman strolled towards the door.

"Well, it's been a real pleasure meeting you."

Areth rolled her eyes as the door closed. Heavens, who was that? Opening the Book, Areth flipped to the last written page and ran a finger to the bottom of the list of signatures. And… What? The girl stared at the name, her mind jolting through the list of possibilities. It could be a fake name, that woman might have broken into the account and simply using the account to pay for her needs, there…

But still, what if it was all true, what if the name and person were both real? The mind reeled before finally coming to a snap decision. Bring both hands together in a clap; Areth spoke a name to a small blue pyramid that appeared before her face.

"Ze' kana? It's me, Areth. Listen, I just got the news that my brother's seriously injured himself. I really need to go home. I'm closing the store, right... Thank you."

The pyramid disappeared as the girl pulled her hands apart. She stayed silent for a moment, as if trying to hear something or someone. Whatever it was, the result must have pleased her, for a small smile tugged at her lips as she once again clapped the glowing pyramid into life. She spoke another name, but this time with a password as well.

"Nem? Areth here. Tell _syl_-Vera I'm coming over. I got something important that he needs to know immediately… Well of course I'm not going to come by public Markers… I don't care, make one for me, steal one if you have to, this is _very _important."

-

Mm… Dragon… Pretty… Wait, where's this place? Sheets, pillow, _bed?_ What? Was everything before all a dream? Someone… no, more than one person there, moving. Was it safe to take a small peek?

"Oh my, looks like our mysterious visitor's awake."

Biting back a groan of frustration, ruby eyes opened and glared at the one who spoke. A woman met his stare, mid-aged and grinning faintly as she took in his fierce look. Growling softly, Hiei pushed himself off the bed and was prepared to jump at the woman when his body froze.

"Ah good, you are awake. We've both been waiting for some time now for you to wake up."

Another came into the room, a man of similar age to the woman. He smiled politely at Hiei's immobile figure before flicking his fingers through the air. The invisible barrier around the fire apparition's body disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. Growling at this strange phenomenon, Hiei snarled at the two.

"Who are you?"

The woman leaned back in her chair, the faint smile growing wider at Hiei.

"Actually, we should be the ones asking _you _that, since you are trespassing illegally on _our _private property. So, tell me, who are you?"

The fire apparition snorted.

"I asked the question first."

Hearing this, the woman sighed good-naturedly while the man chuckled. Shrugging, the woman grinned at Hiei.

"Since I'm feeling extra generous today, I'll listen to your all-mighty command. I'm Seritsu and him over there is…"

The man gave a very extravagant bow and beamed happily.

"I go by the name Seth. A pretty easy name to remember, won't you say?"

Hiei grunted into his chest.

"I'm Hiei Jaganshi, of Makai."

Seritsu raised both brows at this while Seth nodded slowly.

"I have no idea where Makai is, but… it doesn't sound like a lie."

Seritsu shrugged, sable eyes closed in thought.

"Maybe, but that does not explain how she was able to pass the security unnoticed."

Hn, they were acting as if he wasn't in the room. Hiei was about to snap out at the two when something clicked in his mind. Turning to Seritsu, the fire apparition pointed a finger at the woman.

"What… What did you just say?"

Seritsu frowned.

"Maybe, but that does not explain how she was able to pass the security unnoticed. Why? What… Are you alright?"

For Hiei suddenly found himself slumped against the wall for support. So, before, it wasn't a dream. What he saw before when he first woke in this strange world was indeed real. But… how? How could have this happened? Who could have done this? A cup appeared under Hiei's nose; someone put it to his lips and tipped its content down his throat.

The sharp burning sensation of the liquid forced Hiei out of his daze. Hacking and coughing, the fire apparition pushed himself to stand. Seth was staring at him, an empty cup hand while Seritsu was snapping her fingers before his eyes, a concerned look on her face. Hiei's lips moved, whispered words floating out into the air. Seritsu leaned closer.

"I didn't catch that. Could you speak a little louder?"

"… Why… _Why am I a god-damned female?"_

-

Darkness came. No stars or moon lit the night, but soft, almost ghostly wisps of silver drifted through the shadowed heavens. His throat dry from speaking, Hiei ended his story.

"And when I woke up, I was here, in this house, in a female body. End of story."

His two hosts both sat before him, silent as they took in all the information they were given over the afternoon. Both were contemplative, but one was out of curiosity while the other suspicion. Finally Seritsu spoke up.

"At least that explains why none of the alarms worked; the bloody kid fell straight out of the sky."

Seth tapped his nose in thought.

"Don't think he's lying. You?"

Seritsu sighed, pushing herself up from the chair and proceeded to walk around the room.

"But do you think he's reliable? For all we know it might just be a trap."

"…Still, there is a possibility."

Seritsu sighed, the woman rubbing her temples in frustration.

"I didn't say that it's impossible. Just that… I mean, would _you _believe the kid's story?"

All the while, sitting on the chair, Hiei was grinding his teeth and resisting the urge to kill. Those two were talking about him as if he wasn't there. And calling him a "kid"… Blooded orbs narrowed dangerously…

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that before?"

Halting in her pacing, Seritsu grinned madly as she turned to Hiei. Raising her left hand, the woman spoke as the index finger traced a pale hourglass in the air.

"Neither Seth or I can tell if you are lying or not. But there's an easy solution to that; we'll just take you to someone who can tell. Have a nice dream."

The symbol flared once, and the last thing Hiei remembered before falling into slumber was thinking of how he would look in a skirt.

-

"Now, let's see if you were actually listening to me or just nodding mindlessly. Draw Isa for me."

Sitting inside the gigantic glasshouse that was, in actual fact, a library, Youko flickered his ears in annoyance at the sound of laughter in Inoseki's voice. It was as if the woman was certain that he had not been listening and would not succeed. The youkai smirked to himself and raised on finger in the air. Granted, the thief really wasn't listening to his tutor, but rather allowing his mind to drift upon the bodies of the females who moved in and out of the courtyard. There was no danger of anyone seeing Youko; the glass was like that of those one-sided glasses they had back in Nigenkai, where someone could look out from one side but not in through the other. Excellent things for spying…

Inoseki coughed and smiled, arms crossed across her chest and an expectant grin on her lips. Youko rolled his eyes. Yes, he had no idea what to do, but it couldn't be any harder than using Youki. After all, the basic principles ought to be the same; it's just drawing out one's powers, right? Taking in a deep breath, Youko frowned in concentration, lifted one hand and slashed an "I" through the air.

Nothing happened.

Inoseki snorted in laughter, the woman biting back her glee in chokes and coughs. Youko growled under his breath. Damn, what went wrong? Clearing her throat and the last of her laughter, Inoseki grinned in triumph.

"Just as I expected; you wasn't listening, were you? Then we'll… Yes?"

Someone knocked on the glass door and was now waiting at the entrance. With a sigh, Inoseki walked over to the intruder, a frown marring her face. Leaning back in his chair, Youko yawned and stretched in the sun.

A bare three days had passed, but it seemed more like three weeks or three month than days. Then again, perhaps it _has _been three weeks, and someone had simply placed an illusion over him to make it seem like three days. Youko grinned. That doesn't help much, so many here could have created the illusion with a snap of their fingers. The thief remembered a conversation he had with Inoseki on his first day (Or week) here, the first real conversation they had since he woke up. That was the conversation that had changed Youko's life…

…_And that's how I suddenly woke up with three beautiful women sitting next to my bed and realizing that I was no longer in Makai."_

_Pacing the length of his room, Youko tilted his head at the silent Inoseki._

"_I've told my side of the story, now you tell me yours. Why am I in this place? Wait, _where _is "this place", for that matter? Who are you, why do you not allow me out of the room, why is there no lock on the door and yet I can't get out, and lastly, what do you want with me?"_

_Hand folded in her lap, the woman by the name of Inoseki merely smiled at Youko's seething anger and frustration._

"_I'll answer your questions, but only if you stop burning up the carpet with your pacing and sit down. As for your questions… Why are you here? Because one of my girls found you unconscious, battered and without any source of identification. She brought you back here and I, out of the kindness of my heart, had planned to take you in until you woke up and tell us how you found yourself in this predicament._

_Where is here? It's a place of schooling, a very prestigious one as well. Appearance, wit, ability to use their power, personality, everything must meet a very high standard before they are allowed to come here."_

_Youko crossed his arms in light amusement._

"_Tell me, why do they _want _to come here? Why can't they study elsewhere?"_

_Inoseki smiled. He was a bright one, this Youko. At first she had thought that the thief's mind was addled and that his story was just one of imagination, but now she realized that maybe what he had told her was the truth, that he had indeed come from another unknown dimension. The woman tapped a finger. Perhaps she needed to rethink what was to be done with this Youko…_

"_Why? Aside from the fact that only the best of their profession teaches here and that the best of their specialization leaves here? Aside from that… Well, the rest is all politics actually. It's hard explaining to you, since you just arrived, but to summarize it… The government and its rules can not reach here. It's a long story, but this place has the privilege of being outside of _any _government laws or political influence. Things that might be banned elsewhere are allowed here. It's… Like I said, its politics, and I don't think you'll be interested anyways._

_Who am I? I'm the current manager of this place. That should be easy to understand. Why don't I allow you out of your room? Eh… Let's just put it this way; in this world, someone of your appearance would be immediately spotted and remembered. Not only that, but here in this dimension you are quite, no, _extremely _special. You said yourself that you came from another world. I doubt you want to attract any sort of attention for now, so I took the liberty of keeping you to this room. The door? It's the ability those in this world has, something along the lines of your… Youki or Reiki, if I remember correctly. And what do I want with you? Well…"_

_Inoseki closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Moments passed, long enough for Youko to wonder if the woman had fallen asleep or not. But just as he was about to go and poke her, Inoseki sighed and spoke._

"_At first it was all easy; you wake up and tell us what happened to you and I'll report your case to the law. At least, that's what I was _planning _to do, but now, after hearing your story…"_

_The woman's mellow voice drifted off, strings of thoughts running across closed eyelids. There had been rumors, these past few decades or so. Rumors of forbidden researches, strange new workings of Words. And transformations, strange workings both of body and mind. Whispers of the terrible consequences these experiments held were both of twisted and cruel; for nothing good comes from the natural order of things. The power behind these rumored researches was still yet unknown, but it's very likely that someone of high ranking and power was linked. In other words, someone who had a great political influence…_

_She blinked and lifted her gaze when Inoseki felt a pair of eyes on her still form. It was Youko, the pale man staring at her with an expectant look in his eyes. Oh dear, she drifted off again, leaving the thief hanging in the middle of her sentence. Inoseki chuckled to herself, much to the confusion of Youko, who, by the look on his face, was deciding whether he should trust this madwoman. Shaking her head, Inoseki let out a deep breath._

"_Ah child, you have not the slightest idea just how special you are."_

_Hearing this, Youko's ears twitched with annoyance. Turning to the window, the thief flicked a careless hand through his silken tresses._

"_Child? I do not think you have yet fully comprehended just how wrong you are."_

_Inoseki smiled at the smug looking fox. Oh she fully comprehended alright, the woman knowing just exactly what she spoken of. The thief might be old in age, but in wisdom and wit, especially of knowledge of this world, he was indeed a child._

"_If you think that I have wronged then I shall take back my remark on your age. But you shall soon see what I meant. For now…"_

Thinking back, Youko felt a grin widen on his face. How easily he had been trapped, unknowingly lured into where he was now, diligently (or almost diligently) studying away at all that this world had to offer. It was as if Inoseki knew what was going on in his mind and had purposely kept the youkai's mind busy from other matters. Other matters…

Yuki… His lips moved; a tiny twist of the muscles that was shown in a bitter grin of sorts. In a way, the thief had always known that something like this would happen, that she would be killed by someone who had a death grudge against him. The fact that she was human, one without any special power or hidden reserve of sleeping Reiki like Kuwabara, only reinforced the possibility. In a way, when he had seen that golden bracelet back in his home in Nigenkai, Youko already knew how the end would play out. And yet he still went for it, dragging the old group along with him. Golden eyes crinkled slightly in silent humor. If they were here now, Kurama and them, Youko wondered just how many inventive ways of torture they would have thought of to kill him by for pulling them into such a mess.

It doesn't hurt now, her death. That was the second thing he noticed when he first woke up in this world, the first being his utter loss of Youki. It was there, the incident still strong, but strangely hazy, as if it all happened in another world, in another time. Youko snorted at that. Well, it _did _happen in another world. But… It almost seemed as if all his life, his previous life before waking up in this dimension, was nothing more than some lingering dream. The intellectual part of his mind, always a bore of a thing, pointed out matter-of-factly that it was technically impossible that his life had not existed. Youko rolled his eyes and took a mental swipe at the technical side of things. Of cause he knew that; the thief wasn't a complete idiot as a certain part of his brain had thought.

Sound of footsteps broke his train of thoughts. Youko sighed heavily. It was too much to take in right now, what with his studies and adjusting and presumptions and guessing and… One step at a time. The thief nodded to himself. Yes indeed; if he was going to find the rest of his companions, then he must focus hard, one thing at a time. As Inoseki strolled back to her seat, Youko tossed his hair over his shoulders and grinned at her.

"So, may I have the pleasure of hearing your melodic voice as you explain again just how this Word thing works?"

-

The warm fragrant of the tea drifted in the windless day. Leaning back in the cushioned seat, the woman closed her eyes and basked in the spring sun. _This _was where she belonged, in_ real_ civilization, with _civilized _people. Not like back then, in Reikai, Nigenkai or Makai. Not like those idiotic specimens who called themselves "intellectually evolved". Pft…

But… what _was _it like back there, in that other dimension? Those last seven years, the seven years of laughter, fights, insults and sadness. Everything's… faded, gone, as if it was nothing more than mere dreams flitting past the recess of her mind. She could remember some things, like the roar of transportation on a busy road or the smirk of arrogance on Hiei's face every time Kuwabara did something stupid. Still, even these thoughts, the ones she could remember, they were nothing more than a blink, a single moment in which time a leaf fallen, a breath drawn, a light flickered. To look into that moment or around it was impossible, a tiny smear of faded color upon a canvas of utter grey.

Metal flashed under the sun as she raised the fork to her mouth. She chewed slowly, savoring the flavors running over her tongue. _This _was real; the salty taste of meat, the bone-drenching warmth soaking her body, soft cushion of her chair and wooden table under her arms. She stretched, catlike in movement, causing silken garments to slide against her skin. Something gave way and cracked in her spine, minute shifting of the bones in relief. Leaning back in her chair, one corner of her lips curled upwards as seek to remember.

Oh, how foolish she had become, those seven a years. How ignorant and simple her mind had turned back in that dimension? A smirk touched her lips, ivory incisors hinting in the sun. Such pathetic level she had groveled to, giving her life to save those _humans, _who deserved to die where they stood. The snarl deepened. Worse yet, she trusted her life to _them, _the Reikai Tentai. She remembered thinking of how sorry the bunch was. Too right, that was. Looking back, her mind wondered just how she could have allowed herself to become aquatinted with them.

A shadow passed by, shuffle of feathers upon the wind. She blinked, inky green eyes refocusing back to the present and to her cooling meal. Appetite suddenly gone, a shift of chair against floor announced her exit from the restaurant. Where to now? The mind wandered for a moment before settling. First; find out the exact number of years she's been gone from here and second, catching up with all the things that had occurred while she was gone. Before, when she had gone to the vault to retrieve some money, the worker behind the desk had frowned, glanced at her, frowned again and requested (politely) that she identified. Curious, she did as told, drawing up a random Word in the air and waited for the security to check.

Everyone's power had their own unique mix of colors, and no two could be exactly alike, be shade, mix or light. Hers was the same hue as her eyes; a smoky thing, dark and ever-shifting from near-black to glossy evergreen. A few second passed, the identification passed and she was allowed to take her money. The man behind the desk flustered as she raised a brow at him.

"I… I'm sorry, but it's just that your account hasn't been touched in such a long time… I'd thought… I deeply apologize for your time."

Trailing through the streets of Salitan, the woman's feet took her towards the center of the city, where the National Archives stood in all its majestic glory. She had been here not a few times, looking up references to artifacts or ruins she was interested in. It would be as easy as drawing a breath to simply go through the records there and find information on the years she had missed…

Someone brushed against her from behind, a strange occurrence when there was so much space on the wide path despite the moderate crowd. Raising a brow, words of bored curiosity were about to leave her lips when the stranger turned left. It was only an instant, but their eyes locked, hers and that of the girl's, the one whom she had bought her clothing in earlier in the day. A second later their gaze broke, the girl lowering her eyes to the ground. But that was not what caught the woman's attention. No, it was what the girl was doing; the thumb and middle finger of her right hand tugging at the left cuff her jacket. It was a sign, a gesture known only to a specific few. And it had a meaning.

_Follow_

The girl disappeared around the corner. Now sufficiently curious, the woman trailed after the girl in amused interest. She didn't bother guessing why the girl purposely caught her attention, or why she knew those silent gestures, or even how the girl knew her. Patience was a virtue that rarely graced her, but when the scent of a hunt was in the air, the woman knew how to wait…

-

Oh, a garden maze? She grinned. Strolling up the park's well tended paths; her confident strides took the woman headlong into the well-tended labyrinth. Inside she walked slowly, both enjoying the tranquil isolation and waiting for the girl to introduce herself. It didn't take long; the presence of another soon touched her senses. Taking in a deep breath of the leafy air, one dark eye turned back and glanced at the girl.

"I never caught your name back in the shop. What is it?"

"… It's… Areth."

Her lips twitched. She wondered why this Areth had hesitated for that moment before revealing her name, if she was the one who had wanted this meeting in the first place. Meh, never mind that. Now onto the second question.

"And just how have I gained the pleasure of knowing you?"

Areth's footsteps stopped there, a sudden gesture that nearly, but not quite, caught the woman by surprise. Coming to a rest herself the woman turned, one slim brow arched in idle curiosity.

"Oh? Pray, is there something wrong?"

Areth was looking at her feet again and fidgeting a bit, as if trying to decide on something. Then suddenly the girl bowed to her.

"Forgive my lack of politeness, _syl_- Roviel Windred, but I… we have a proposal that you might find to be of interest."

Roviel Windred? For a moment, two people came to mind. One of dark raven hair and sunlit eyes, a one sided grin on her young face and grudging kindness in her eyes. The other was older, smoky pine gaze that was alight with nothing but amusement curtained by wavy tresses of russet gold and bronze red. The two wavered in her mind. Who was she, out of the two?

A soft chuckle floated through the air as green eyes took in Areth's words. Running one hand through her autumn locks, Roviel regarded her company with an amused eye.

"My my, I see that news still travel as fast as before. I've only been back for a mere day or so and already there's someone looking for me? You say you have something that's worth my attention? Pray, do tell."

Ah, but this was the real her; knowingly arrogant while tossing polite nothings into the air. She was doing that now, courteous words hinted by bored curiosity and a seemingly lack of attention. And it was working; Areth hesitated before speaking, not sure if the woman was really interested or just making idle conversation.

"We… we have a proposal that we think might be of interest to you. It's been quite a while since you were last here on this world, and many things have changed. So…"

Roviel flicked a hand at Areth, the careless gesture done much the same way one would wave a hand a passing insect.

"Get to the point. Right now I'm tired and want to find a nice bed to sleep on. If you waste any more of my time then I'll take it that you are not serious."

Areth glared at Roviel. _Was _this woman the right person? Was she the one who had disappeared a near two centuries ago? Two centuries… not _that _long in terms of average life spans in this world, but long enough for many things to happen… The girl frowned inwards. Did she get the person right? She should have, for Nem's information was never wrong. Besides, _syl_-Vera described her exactly. But… Areth felt like scratching her head in confusion. The Roviel she had in her mind from all the stories told of the woman put an image of some smiling, sadist, evil looking woman who had a penchant for mentally playing with her victims. But here was Roviel; arrogant, bored, and acting as if the most important thing in the world right now was that her collar was nicely folded. Areth sighed. Oh well, a chance's still a chance, no matter how strange it might look…

"Then I shall get straight to the point. Take up your father's position in the Council and use your influence to aid us in gaining control over the leadership in the government."

Hearing this, Roviel winced aloud.

"My dear, have you never heard of being subtle?"

"But you were the one who asked me to say everything straight out!"

"Yes well, that came out a bit _too _blunt, thank you."

"So, will you accept?"

Roviel watched as a gust tossed a leaf up into the sky. She sighed and shrugged.

"No."

Areth stared. Seconds of unbroken stillness passed, before…

_What? WHY?"_

The smoky eyes blinked at the fuming girl. Shrugging again, the eyes turned away, all traces of curiosity now gone from the dark orbs.

"Why? Easy. First of all, I have no interest in either politics of influencing politics. The world works fine as long as I have a good bed to sleep on and well-cooked food to eat. Second; I do not know where you get your information from, but if my memory serves, I think I renounced my family name quite a while back."

Areth swelled. She was not about to give up now, especially not to this egotistic woman who looked at her with an expectant patience as one might look at a small child throwing a tantrum. That infuriated her; to be looked down upon as if she did not know any better. Areth growled to herself.

"Not officially you didn't. As far as my information goes, there were only rumors, nothing substantial!"

Roviel frowned and plucked at her collar again. For some reason the bloody thing was digging into her neck, quite an uncomfortable thing really.

"Whatever. Even _if _I still wanted to keep any ties with my family, that does not mean I would want to take up my father's job. But those aren't the main reason I declined you offer."

"…They aren't? Then…"

Roviel raised one brow at Areth.

"Isn't it obvious? You said you would give me a proposal which would interest me, but as for now I can't find any evidence of that. Besides, what do I get out of this deal?"

The girl mentally groaned. Areth thought that she had turned Roviel's attention from that, but obviously she was just thinking to positively.

"If you agree to our terms, then we in turn will help rescue your friends."

Friends? Roviel blinked, her mind automatically going back to the old days. Who was it now? Syra? That was the most probable choice; the girl was always jumping into fights and brawls that did not concern her. Lailos came up as a close second. Every time they walk into a shop or any room with remotely breakable items, the illusionist would always manage to damage it. Roviel grinned at the memories

"What? Even Zyril can't get them out of their predicament with his wealth or tongue? This is a rare one, what did they do now?"

To her surprise Areth flustered and shook her head in confusion.

"I… I think you are mistaken, _syl_-Roviel. The friends I meant were the ones who arrived with you from the other dimension."

Friends… who? Ah, _them. _Darkened eyes closed as Roviel snorted in disdain and flicked two fingers at the air.

"Them? Pft, I couldn't care less if the whole lot of them were torn apart into droplets of flesh. The truth is that I despise them, they who…"

_They who commanded me, they who used me, they who bound me…_

A heavy sigh left Roviel's lips and her body seemed to slump with the outtake of breath. Shaking her head, the woman stretched up at the sky. That was another life, a life that she had left behind and had no intention of stepping back in. The Reikai Tentai… They were history, a hazy vision that was already fading bit by tiny bit as she rolled her shoulders. Falling into anger because of them would not be worth it. Besides… one eye roved the leafy maze, devoid of other life from aside from her and Areth. …Besides, this isn't the appropriate place for her to be angry. Letting the last of her frustrations float away upon the winds, Roviel tilted her head and grinned at Areth.

"Sorry, but your offer is not adequate enough for me to spend my time upon. I would like to help, but charity work is just not my thing. Maybe another time, when you have something that would hook my curiosity? So, bye for now."

Then she was left to stand there, staring after the disappearing figure of Roviel. Her mind suddenly kicking back in from the sudden departure, Areth clenched her teeth. It wasn't supposed to be this way; Roviel was supposed to help them so that her friends would be rescued. Could it be that they were lying, that in truth Roviel didn't think much of them at all in the other dimension? Striding further into the maze, Areth clapped for the pyramid. That didn't matter now. All that mattered now was to find a way…

-

Hand folded behind his back, shoulders squared, head held high, Tainuki could not but feel fear despite his confident posture. The figure sitting in the high-backed chair before him pushed up his glasses and peered at Tainuki from behind the thick lens. Feeling the squint upon him, Tainuki broke out in cold sweat again.

"My report is finished, _syl_."

The man with the glasses pursed his lips and nodded to himself, one finger tapping the chair's arm-rest in thought.

"Even though neither of the two we are looking for are in the three you captured, they might have some use later… Good work, Tainuki."

The man gave a stiff bow at his compliment, his limbs twitchy and unfocused. A part of him felt relieved that nothing's going to happen to Yuki, Kuwabara or Kurama. At least, not yet. Taking in a deep breath, Tainuki raised his head from the bow.

"I apologize that my information does not possess anything of use."

The chair squeaked as its occupant rose.

"Don't think that, Tainuki. Not only have you obtained three of the group already, but you have been able to gain their trust in only two days and make them reveal so much information. Now, out of the seven, we only need to track down three more."

Tainuki frowned. Seven?

"_Syl_, forgive my impoliteness, but from what I've heard from Yuki and Kuwabara, there are only six people who were thrown into this dimension. Yuki, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei…"

"...Roviel and Youko. Correct. But you seem to have forgotten someone."

Tainuki was at a loss. Who? His thoughts wavering, the man remembered something else he had heard just then.

"Before, you said there are only three more to track down. Does that mean aside from myself, someone else had already found one more?"

The glasses slipped again as the head nodded once.

"And… Might this one be the person who I…?"

The spectacles turned his way. Tainuki froze. Did he just step over his boundary? Someone with his rank only had to obey, not ask questions…

"You have a sharp mind, Tainuki. Indeed, we have been able to locate one more. It was most fortunate; the Road opened right in my estate. And despite what you said before, I believe you have heard of this person."

Light bounced off the glasses as the gaze shifted.

"He says his name is Koruku."

* * *

My, that came out rather... long and... full of speaking bits and... long... So, everyone's gathered in the same country, some just one wall apart while others few towns over. Ironic really, how something could be right under your nose and you'll never realize. Oh well, if your interest is still in this thing, then please wait for the next chapter, where the questions would (hopefully) be explained. Until then, take care!

_"Syl" _is the equvilant of "Madam" or "Sir". What one calls another out of politeness and respect, much as one might call their boss or client.


	24. Beneath Blue Unclouded Sky

Riz:

I'll keep this short, since I don't have much time; it's the end of year 12 for me and in two weeks time I'll be sitting through a three-week long test period that shall decide if I get into uni or if my parents kill me for not getting enough marks. Because of that, I barely had the time to open the computer, let alone go on the net or write. This chapter is suppose to be a lot longer, but I didn't have enough time to write up the whole thing, consider this to be a very very long preview of the chapter. I'm not sure when I'm going to update, but it's definitely after four weeks or so. Sorry...

To:

Sutaro-Shintsuteru: Yea, sorry. For some reason I always spell it the wrong way. And as for Yuki... Well, when I first started to write, I had no intention of making her character. Then my friend somehow nagged (blackmailed, threatened, etc) into me putting her into the story. So Yuki is my friend's character, Roviel's mind. As for the sidey thing... I don't know. In a way Yuki plays a pretty big part to the story; she's the polar opposite of Roviel in all aspects, she's the main plot of the second Act (something that I could not have written the third Act without), and she's the only female OC that you will see in a LONG LONG time that is perfectly human, have no abilities whatsoever, does not have a previous life/angel/goddess soul.

Togurotheman: Hey, good to see you back! It's been a long time, ne? Well, I'm glad that you like how the story's progressed. Keep reading!

Kitsune Chic: ...Are you bloody serious? You actually printed it out? Wow, I never thought that my story was worth enough money to be printed out in ink and paper. I salute you!

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two: Beneath Blue Unclouded Sky 

He was resting quite happily in the midst of a dreamless slumber when someone, or rather, some_thing _woke Hiei up. Opening his eyes, Hiei realized that it was no longer night and that he was in a completely different room to the one he fell unconscious in. The next thing he noticed was the other presence in the room. The fire apparition growled as he saw the figure of a smiling Seritsu standing over him. Bemused, the woman raised a brow at the apparition.

"Well, don't you look happy."

"Shut up woman."

"What a way to thank someone who had saved your life! Now if _you _don't shut up instead, I'll make sure your vocal chords never work again."

Whether the threat actually worked or the fire apparition just felt like reverting to his usual silent self was unsure even to the author, but the end result was the same; Hiei fell quiet. Minutes passed unspoken as one glared at the other. In the end it was Hiei who broke the heavy atmosphere. Sitting up on the bed, the youkai growled at Seritsu.

"What did you do to me before? I remembered you drew something in the air..."

He copied her gesture, one finger drawing an invisible hourglass.

"And then I fell unconscious. What did you do?"

"Oh, you mean this?"

Leaning back in her chair, the woman drew up the hourglass again. Hiei tensed, the fire apparition's hand automatically reaching for the empty space where his katana had always been. Holding the pattern in the air, Seritsu waved her free hand at Hiei.

"Oh stop it; you look idiotic standing like that. A female such as yourself should not be so foul-mouthed and blunt in your words or actions."

Hiei bit back the strong urge to grab for the woman's throat. The apparition took her advice though; Hiei willed his body to relax and stood normally.

"I am _not _a female. It's _your_ demented world's fault that I look the way I'm now. And don't try to swerve off-topic; what is that?"

Seritsu gazed at Hiei, an incomprehensible look in her eyes. Her lips moved, the woman seemed to be muttering something to herself. Try as he might, Hiei was unable to understand one sound that was coming out of her mouth. Whatever Seritsu was speaking, it was definitely not Japanese, or as Japanese was known in this world, Palien. Hiei was beginning to wonder if he ought to hit the woman over the head for signs of life when the mumblings suddenly stopped. With a final odd look at the apparition, Seritsu waved her hourglass away and sighed.

"Even now I still don't know whether to believe your absurd story or not. It'll be some time before my friend comes, and I suppose until he's here it's going to be impossible to know if you are lying or not. Since we have the free time, and I'm feeling bored, I suppose there's no harm answering your question. For now, let's just assume that your story is indeed true and you were indeed dropped into this world by accident. If so, then I think I should start with the basics.

I do not know the basic theory of how the energy in your world works, but here everyone's powers are determined the moment they are born. There are twelve different abilities a normal person can be born under. The six abilities of Earth are the following; Investigate, Counter Manipulate, Power, Precision and Ambush.

Investigate is the noun term for the ability Seek. This ability allows the person to find and nullify, or unravel if you like, a possible trap set by the enemy. Counter is the noun for the ability Defense. As the name implies, Defense allows the person to defend, reflect, hinder and generally repel the enemy's physical and Word attacks.

Manipulate is what Word I'm born under. The verb form of the ability is called Heal. As I've already demonstrated before, I'm able to control and manipulate a person's physical and internal workings, such as sending them into sleep or burst the capillaries in their lungs so they suffocate to death. The latter takes much more concentration and time to do than the former, so it doesn't mean I can go around killing anyone I like.

Power, or Attack, as the verb is known, is generally using a mix of endurance and might to overwhelm the enemy. Their attacks mainly consist of direct Word attacks that are used to stun, knock down, constraint and physically damage the target. Those who are born under the First Word Precision are viewed as the most intelligent in strategic warfair, planning and general tactical anaylsis. Their power, Timing, allows the user to find weaknesses in the opponent's attacks and defence. By doing so, the user can find the opponent's weakness and exploit that.

And finally, Ambush. Out of the six abilities of Earth, Ambush or Entrapment, is the most passive one. There's a lot more strategy involved in this ability, where the user sets up Word traps that, under certain conditions, activates. Ok, and the…"

For some time now Hiei had been looking quite agitated, the fire apparition repeatedly tried to interrupt Seritsu's flow of words. As the woman stopped to take a deep breath, the apparition saw his chance.

"You've been saying this for so many times yet never bothered to explain; why does each ability have two terms?"

Having been cut off from her speech, Seritsu narrowed her eyes at her rude audience.

"If you were _listening_, you would know. One is the title of the ability; the other's the verb form. For example, someone would say that the ability they have is, say, Counter. But they would _not _say "He Countered against me". Instead, it would be "He Defended against me." _Now _do you understand?"

In actual fact, the fire apparition was still at somewhat of a loss, but not wanting to look idiotic in front of Seritsu, Hiei simply snorted and turned away. The woman took that as a gesture for her to continue her lecture, which she returned to with much gusto.

"Um… As I was saying, that's all six abilities of Earth. Now for Heaven's six. Their titles are Alter, Create, Veil, Weave, Bind and Trace. Create, or Sagacity, is an ability where one can change the genetic material if a living life-form. There _are _exceptions, of cause; one can not use the ability on a fellow being, for changing one's genetic information would send their Word alignment into disarray. The ability's mostly used to change a certain characteristics of some life-form, like extending some plant's flowering time.

Create gives form to the ability Alchemy. While Sagacity allows the manipulation of living things, Alchemy gives the power to change inorganic materials on an atomic level. Things such as marble, water, oil, smoke and like; they can all be manipulated. The only things that can not be changed are the most basic of elements, like silver and lead for example.

...Ah yes, Veil."

Seritsu snapped her fingers at Hiei, the fire apparition showing a particularly rude hand gesture in reply. Seritsu raised a brow at the gesture.

"Is that meant to be rude? Oh well, whatever… But as I was saying, I think this one will be of most interest to you, kid, so pay attention.

Veil is the ability that the person we are visiting for is born under. With his ability of Reveal, my friend will be looking into your thoughts and seeing if they contain enough solid information to be truth. He'll also be seeing if anyone's tampered with your mind and all the memories you have are created or not. If all that you remember are _indeed _fake, we'll see if he can't unlock your true memories. It's a very useful ability, for only Seek and Reveal are able to break an Illusion.

It shouldn't be too hard for you to figure out what _this _ability does. People born under the First Word Weave are able to create illusions. Not only that, but they are able to tamper with your senses. Sight, smell, touch, sound and taste can all be affected. Those particularly talented can also place an illusion on not only the surroundings and one's senses, but their thoughts and perspective to something. A friend earlier can suddenly seem like a possible back-stabber with some slight nudging of the mind from an Illusion. Of cause, it's impossible to _make _someone think exactly as you want them too; it only works if the person's weak-willed and the thought contains some degree of doubt or uncertainty.

That brings us to the final two; Bind and Trace. The former allows the person to create or break links or bindings that exists within Space. A person can Mark a passage between two different dimensions, or just different places within the same dimension. They can also Mark a certain area, cutting it off to create its own pocket dimension so that none may enter or leave. A person born under Bind can also use their power to embed Words into inorganic material. Like that light, for example."

The woman tilted back on her seat, pointing upwards as she did so. Curious, Hiei's head lifted, claret eyes following the finger until his gaze rested on a piece of creamy tile in the middle of the ceiling. The apparition was scrutinizing the seemingly useless piece of tiling when, with a snap of Seritsu's fingers; it lit up the whole room much like a bright light bulb.

"See that? That piece of tile is made of milky quartz, and it has quite a few Words embedded into it. Entrapment is there to activate the contraption upon a specific signal, and that's me clicking my fingers. A mix of Sagacity and Alchemy have been used to create the light; Sagacity for enabling light-creating lichen to survive within the tile, and Alchemy to alter the quartz's physical structure so that it's permeable enough for air and moisture to pass through the rock and reach the lichen while retaining enough of it's original shape to stay so durable. A Word of Attack has been embedded so it amplifies the light created by the lichen, creating enough brightness for the whole room. An Illusion is also working as we speak; if you think the light's too bright, imagine it fading. Go on, try it."

Skeptical, but curious, Hiei peered at the bright light and imagined the brightness to dim. To his surprise the light faded at once until it reached the perfect brightness that he had been thinking in his mind. Ruby gaze turned to stare at his host.

"Like I said; Illusion. The light hasn't actually dimmed, but the Illusion embedded makes your mind think it has. But it's impossible to maintain a constant Word upon something unless it's been Marked in like the tile."

Still glaring at the light, Hiei's attention suddenly twisted to the door. Someone was coming towards them, and judging by their soft footsteps, whoever it was didn't want the inhibitors of the room notice their presence. The apparition smirked to himself; although physically different, he still retained all the mental edge his of his previous self. Actually, the senses are the clearest he's felt in a long time, like before the invasion of Nigenkai and when the Reikai Tentai was whole. Ah, memories…

A glance showed that Seritsu was happily oblivious to the intruder's approach. The soft footsteps prowled closer. Hiei positioned himself closer to the door.

The door began to open.

Hiei pounced.

-

Sunlight filtered through the glass panes. Or rather, though Kurama, cloud-light would be more accurate, since there's no sun and the light came from the eternal blanket of swirling clouds. In the past three days, the red-head had been able to tell the time of day by the color of the clouds. It's quite a simple procedure; the clouds shift through the entire color spectrum starting with blood red at dawn and ending in grey-violet at dusk. Night was distinguished by a faint silver, but otherwise darkened sky.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of his lunch. The guard, a short man with pale violet eyes, smiled at Kurama as he placed the tray of food down before the prisoner. Bowing his head in thanks, Kurama watched as the guard left, closing the lock-less door behind him. Left to his own device, Kurama took up the fork and knife and began to eat.

As he chewed, the red-head's mind turned back to the two paradoxes his brain had been working on for the past few days. The first was how the door and windows of his room manages to keep locked without any means of being barred in place. No matter how hard he had tried (and the youkai _has _tried very hard) to break down the window, there was yet one single scratch on the window panels to show his futile attempts to destroy it. Technically it's impossible for such fragile glass to stand up against the onslaught he's given out, but there was something about it that he didn't know about. And Kurama wanted to find out what that "something" was.

Which leads to the second question swimming in his mind. Having nothing to do for the whole day, Kurama had taken to watching the scenes outside his window. Officials came and went, the authorities occasionally hurrying across his window, co-workers chatting away in their spare time. All this the youkai didn't bother to remember, but it was one particular scene yesterday that had caught his attention.

A fight had broken out in the courtyard that morning, two females who, by the looks of things, tried to strangle the other. What they argued about Kurama had no idea, for it was in their native tongue. But what drew his utter and unquestioned attention was that, during the scuffle, both fighters were drawing sequences of symbols in the air. It was too far away, and the drawings too fast for his eye to follow. The effects, however, could clearly be seen; one was coughing up blood when the fight was broken off, the other frozen like a zombie. Both had to be carried away, for neither was able to even move by the end of the fight.

Another piece of food disappeared from the fork as Kurama pondered. The kitsune chewed slowly as his mind slowly worked upon the theories and evidences it's collected. Leaning back into the chair, Kurama began the puzzle.

He had no Youki, that's for sure. Half a day of trying to encourage, then later, force plants to grow without any result definitely proved that point. The feeling wasn't as if he's been drained of Youki, but rather a total absence of it from his body, as if it had never been there in the first place. Agile fingers caressed an empty cup. This represented him rather well; just an empty shell without anything inside. Then how could the two women be able to draw up the symbols which harbored such devastating power? Are those two a rare species, the only ones who had such power? The glass cup weighted heavy in his hand. No, it can't be, he was sure of it. He had seen many other people creating the symbols as well, but only in passing. So it's an educated guess that everyone in this world has the ability.

So why can't he feel a thing? Kurama held the glass cup up to the light. The transparent structure shone in the light, crystallized surfaces shifting with faint colors of the spectrum. Gazing at the glass, Kurama frowned. This… This reminds him of something, something from back in Nigenkai. What is it? Letting out a large breath, emerald gaze stared deeper into the translucent surface before losing focus as the mind swan in a sea of crystal light…

-

_Holding the piece of glass upright on the table, Yusuke turned and faced Roviel._

"_Ok, here's what we are going to do. In order to control your Youki, you must be able to emit it at will. Releasing enough energy and it'll create a shockwave of some sort that can literally smash anything in its path. What I want you to do is exactly that; I want you to release enough Youki to break this glass."_

_Off at one side, Kurama's mind was only partially upon the training, for there was something much more urgent in need of his attention. For the first time in his life the kitsune had failed to complete his school work in time. Well, it wasn't his fault that he was unconscious for three days, but still…_

_The pen flowed across the page, scratching the surface. It was only a few moments before Kurama realized that the sound of his pen was the only sound in the room. Curious, the red-head stopped in his frantic writing and looked over at where Roviel and Yusuke stood._

_She was angry, he noted at first glance. The frown that marred her face grew deeper with each passing second. Occasionally, her clenched hands would open, the fingers curved like talons, before curling back into a fist again. A glance at Yusuke showed that the boy was oblivious to his pupil's growing (and dangerous) anger. And yet, still no hint of Youki in the air._

_It's not looking good for Yusuke. In the few weeks that he'd know her, Kurama had come to two solid conclusions about Roviel; she relished upon other people's discomforts and she has a very short fuse. And by the looks of things her fuse is about to run out. Concerned, the kitsune decided to take hold of the situation._

"_Excuse me, but it looks as if you are in need of some help?"_

_Amber eyes snapped open and glared at Kurama's figure. The glare narrowed as Roviel decided whether or not the red-head was being sarcastic. Kurama arranged his features and put on the most innocent of looks he could muster. A few more moments of painful scrutinizing before Roviel was finally satisfied. Clenching and unclenching her hands, the youkai growled through her teeth._

_I don't feel a thing! I'm concentrating as hard as I can but I can't feel any presence of Youki in my surroundings that I can control! How in the name of heavens am I supposed to do this?"_

_Kurama stared. He wasn't the only one; both Yusuke and Kuwabara, who was here out of curiosity, was looking at Roviel with something bordering disbelief. As if with a single mind, the three male's eye locked with each others before coming to a silent agreement. Holding back a grin, Yusuke coughed for attention._

"_No wonder you can't do it; you are looking at the wrong place. Of cause you can't find anything; how the hell would air have any Youki anyways? Youki and Reiki are inside the body, not in the air."_

_Roviel blinked, a confused look on her face as she tried to grasp the concept._

"…_So one releases energy, not by manipulating the power around them, but the energy within themselves?"_

_You catch on fast… Hey, that wasn't sarcasm, don't look at me like that! …Ahem, so… wanna try again?"_

-

Liquid splashed as water poured into the cup. Lifting it, Kurama inspected the clear liquid before draining it. A smile broke out on the kitsune's face. Of cause, it's so clear now. There are only two types of energy; if it's not internal, then it must be external. If that's the case, then instead of focusing in himself, he just needs to concentrate collecting energy from the surroundings. The grin turned into a smirk of triumph. Judging from what he has seen, one collects energy at their fingertips, and by drawing the symbols in the air, arranges the energy in a certain manner so that some reaction occurs. It wasn't so hard, now that the basics have been found. The kitsune felt like gloating. But time was sparse, and gloating was more of Youko's personality rather than his own. Settling down into a more comfortable position on his chair, Kurama raised one hand into the air and concentrated.

-

Coming to a halt before the door, Seth gave a final hasty check of his appearance before tapping on the oaken panels. The door glided open and taking the last moments to arrange both his clothing and face, the man walked into the large room. Turning to face the desk that sat at the end of the place, Seth was already the the process of bowing when he realized that no one was sitting there. The widened eyes swept across the empty room. No one's here? That's not possible, for who then had opened the door?

A soft laugh suddenly sounded in the warm air, accompanied with the sound of clapping. Seth whirled, his gaze resting on a tall figure that slowly walked out from behind a door of frosted glass. The balcony doors glittered in the morning light, the brightness reflecting in inky eyes crinkled with laughter. Seeing the figure, Seth bowed again, this one complete and more graceful than the former.

"_Li-syl, _I've come to report the progress of..."

His sentence was cut off as a hand was flapped in his drection. Still chuckling to himself, Zyril tilted his head at Seth, a quirky smile on his face.

"Aw, come on, there's no need for the formality. It's not as if I don't know why you are here, and stop the bowing already. Just looking at you bobbing up and down gives me a headache. Understand?"

Seth bowed.

"I understand."

Zyril glared at the bowing man, a evil look in the sapphire eyes. Seth remain bowed. The seconds dragged on. Finally it was Zyril that gave in. With a audile sigh he slumped into the chair and arranged the mess of papers and books littered on his desk. Once upon a time, the table would be spotless and everything on it stacked and placed to order. Ah, how the times change...

"Really, why are you so uptight around me? Just because you work for me there's no reason why you can't act human. Look at your sister; Seritsu seems to think I'm human enough to joke with and talk to, so why can't you?"

The man in question chosely to remain silent.

"Then again, I suppose if you _are _to change, then you won't be you anymore. Stubborn, introvent, ampthetic; everything that makes you so invaluable. Won't you say, Seth?"

Zyril looked up and for a moment the two's gaze locked, blue upon violet. Keeping the gaze, Seth saw the reflection of himself within the navy ripples; a small and insignificant thing lost in the dark sea, slowly starving in the inky nothingness, and yet, unwilling to leave the warm embrace...

Zyril blinked and looked away, breaking the contact. His mind slaming back into reality, Seth stood there, momentary forgetting the reason for this visit.

"You said you are here to report the progress? So, how it is?"

Report? Ah yes, of cause! He remembered now; the search for the identies and whereabouts of Hiei's comrades. Bowing again, Seth cleared his throat and fumbled to state the report that he knew by heart.

"Eh... We have confirmed that there were seven unregistered disrupts between dimensions, all of which seemed to have been generated from the same source; a gigantic amount of raw energy of some kind exploding between worlds, and thus destroy the barriers between dimensions and allowing clear passage from one to the other.

There are currently two problems. After investigation, it would appear that the explosion had destroyed numerous barriers aside from our's. Neighbouring dimensions have also reported unknown rips in the barriers, but as of yet, none had found any trace of anything _entering _through the barriers. The other problem is that we still don't know where the intruders came from. Our sources have only been able to trace the rips back to where the explosion occured, but not where it had origionally came from."

Zyril nodded his head in an absent manner, the man's clouded as if his mind was elsewhere.

"Hm... What of the intruders themselves? Are there any news?"

Seth stood taller, the man pushing back a smile from his face. Finally, some good news he can report to Zyril.

"Yes there are. We were able to know the appearance and names of the intruders from Hiei. With that information, our sources were able to track down two others. Both are in Rukailia, on the outskirts of Salitan. It appears that the two were captured by officals and are currently held in cells. The person in charge of that area is Rukiri Tainuki. He had held the position of Superior for seventy-six years, and have no known links with anyone."

"Indeed. I've never heard of this man's name. Say, who does this Tainuki report to, Yisgal?"

Seth sighed mentally. This was where things become complicated.

"I'm afraid not. He reports to Zura."

"WHAT? Why?

Zyril had pratically jumped out of his seat upon hearing the name. Now he was pacing the carpeted floor, a rare frown marring his face. Letting out a soft sigh, Seth continued on.

"It was Zura that nominated Tainuki into the position. Initally he _did _report to Yisgal, but later changed over to Zura. The excuse were that, considering Salitan harbors the largest amount of Unauthorized Off-World trafficing, and he's, holding the position Ambassador, is the one who should handle these things. Somehow the Assembly thought the excuse was of enough merit and voted for Zura."

Silence wore on with the occasional muttered swearing coming from Zyril as he kicked the carpet. Finally he slumped back into his chair again. What to do? He had to find the rest four, and fast, before Zura locates them. His lips twitched. Well, three. If she doesn't want to be found, Roviel can insure herself to remain hidden. But _he _needs to find her. And Zyril was sure it is Roviel that came through one of the rips. No other person he knows has a necklace that turns into a glaive. No other person he knows uses the quote "I don't do charity work." Yes, it's definitely her. But how to find the woman while not drawing the search to unwanted attention? An idea suddenly popped into Zyril's head, one that would allow him to pass on his message to her without drawing any attention _and _giving an adequate reason for him to visit Salitan in a very short notice. The man looked up at Seth, who promptly bowed in answer.

"Seth, I need you to do two things for me. Get these two things up in the news; one that there's illegal Off-World intruders around, and they are presumed to be somewhere on Rukailia. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the intruders are encouraged, and I repeat, use the word _encouraged, _to tell the officals. And put this at the of the article; A reward has been offered by officals as incentive for the whereabouts of the intruders. Make it national news, so have the title red. While you are at it, put another article up, this time a normal one, saying that I'll be visiting Salitan in one Arc's time because of the intruder business.

The second thing I need for you to do; make sure that Seritsu and that Hiei are both in Salitan, in immediate contact and set to depart at any given moment by tomorrow night. I'll be departing for Salitan first thing day after tomorrow, and I need you to make sure that this news gets around to the Unauthorized organization and not a drop to the officals."

Seth nodded, but a look of mind confusion still lingered on his face.

"If I may interrupt, _Li-syl_, but I thought you said that you are leaving day after tomorrow?"

"Oh I am, but I want the public to think that I'm going in an Arc's time. Surprise is one very important element that will help me grasp this situation into my hands."

-

It was later at night that Zyril finally relaxed. Lounging on his balcony, wine in hand, the man mused over the current situation. The many "What If"s that came with his plan are too many, but he still have to try. But... Zyril's fingers twisted around the wineglass. There's still one more thing that needs to be sorted out, and it's the most important aspect. He had stated an incentive, but when the time comes, what can he offer Roviel that she would want? Wealth and power are out of the question; he might as well offer a rock, since they all have the same amount of usefullness to the woman. Charges against her cleared? No point, since they don't have any evidence to catch her anyways. Then what?

A memory of long past floated up from his mind, a memory of when the five of them were still together, when they were young and still trying to find what to live for. And from the memory, Zyril remembered what Roviel had said.

_"What do I want? Freedom, the ability to do as I wish without socially created laws prohibiting my movements. But_... _I want them to try and catch me, I want to see how long I can evade the laws and squeeze free from the tightest corner."_

_ Lailos yawned, his eyes blinking behind the specticles._

_"In other words you live to gamble, at the risk of your own life, against the world and everything it stands for."_

The night clouds rolled and curved over itself in the darkness. Zyril walked back into the room, a smile on his lips. Not the best answer, but the only one he has to offer..

* * *

Riz: 

I'm curious, but what's your top three favourite ability out of the twelve? Here's all twelve:

**Earth: **Seek, Defence, Attack, Heal, Timing, Entrapment

**Heaven: ** Alchemy, Sagacity, Reveal, Illusion, Mark, Recall

Trace, or Recall, is the ability to manipulate with time. Can look back in time, try and predict what's to happen next by finding all the possible outcomes and slow or quicken time.

So yea, I'm very curious. It took some time to create the twelve abilities and give each of them two distinct titles. Which ones do you like best?


	25. Beloved of Lady Luck

Riz:

I had no intention of uploading this half-finished chapter, but the guilt of not having updated for so long was too strong to shove aside. And thus, here it is, the first half or one-third of the twenty third chapter.

Guess people are wondering just why it took me so long to update. Well, thing is, I'm trying to figure out just where each character would be by the end of the story. The first two Acts were pretty easy to write as there wasn't any plot to either and them being prelude to the third Act. I suppose they were nothing more than to show the multiple sides of the OC's personalities. This Act, however, is different. Being the last part of the story, I need to _know _just where each character's going. Will they live, will they die? Which life will Roviel decide to live out, this one or return to being Saiku? What will be of Yuki, will she die or be revived by some means? What would happen to her and Youko's relationship? Would Nigenkai be reverted back to normal or stay demon-infested? Where would Koroku and his obsession lead him? The only two people that I don't need to worry about in the whole story is Kuwabara and Hiei. Those two are so predictable and thus the easiest to write while staying IC.

Which comes to my next problem; ICness and the need to keep each character AS THEY ARE. There's no way in hell that I'll change one of their personality just to suit me needs. And because of my stubborness, the main problem pops up; Kurama and Roviel's relationship.

It's hard, _very _hard to accurately lable the two's relationship with each other. Although there's no doubt that each had a great impact upon the other's life, it's impossible to define just _how _they've effected the other. Unlike Yuki and Youko, which can be easily labled as love, the same simpleness just doesn't apply to Kurama and Roviel. Who are they to each other? Lovers is _definitely _out of the question, as neither has made any thought or move in that direction. It's quite hard to call them friends; aquantiences might be a better word for it. Enemies was perhaps too harsh a word to describe the pair, but their love to annoy each other and watch the loser fume in anger seems just a bit too sharp to be called friendly bantering. Both tolerate each other's presence and on few occasions enjoy the other's company, but the majority of times they would be happy if the other wasn't around. And yet, when their wish is fufilled and the other leaves, they would be left with a sense of plainess, of boredom and lack of life. Things become bland, tedious and trival. It's almost as if the lack of the other, their opposite and polar, takes all sense of interest in life with them.

I hope you see my delimemna; just how is one going to affect the other during the last Act and, ultimately, affect where the character stands at the ending? During my absense from I've more or less sorted out everyone's endings with the exception to the lovely couple that I mentioned above. Right now I have a love-hate relationship with Kurama and Roviel; I love the two's relationship for being so mysterious and androgynous and I absolutely hate their relationship for being so mysterious and androgynous. Arg! Now I'm starting to understand why 99.99 of all female OCs end up being in a love relationship with one of the Reikai Tentai; it's just so much simpler than what I got myself into... TT

But enough of my ranting; onto the story!

To Kitsune Chic: I'm so happy that you are still here despite my lack of updates. THANK YOU! BTW, what happened to your old account?

To Togurotheman: Thank you; that's exactly what I'm trying to do.

To Bara: It was worth it? _Sniff _I never knew that someone liked this story so much... _Huggles _

* * *

Chapter Twenty Three: Beloved of Lady Luck

Life was unfair at best. Lying there on the stairs, bruised and battered and staring up at ceiling from behind a pile of clothing, Hiei had truly come to realize that point. If the heavens was to give the fire apparition one single wish at that very moment he would desire but one single thing, that he'll never have the live the life of a woman ever again, in this life and the next and the next and the next…

The surprise attack did not work as well as he had expected. In the excitement of the attack Hiei forgot two important things. The first was that, in this world, he no longer possessed the startling speed and agility of Nigenkai. The second was much more unexpected. Not only was his body now female, but it also lacked the years of physical training that his former self had. Before he had planned jumping up at the stranger and knock them unconscious or at least send them flying through the wall. Instead, however, the fire apparition found himself tripping into the stranger's body and tumbling down the flight of stairs in the most painful manner. And that's how Hiei had found himself in the position he was now; sprayed awkwardly across the stairs and trying to figure out which way is up.

The door opened and Seritsu's head popped out. The woman took one glance at the scene before her and giggled. Trotting down the steps and pulling Hiei upright, she grinned down at the remaining groaning figure upon the ground. Hiei followed the woman's beaming gaze and glared down at the stranger who he was trying to attack. Now that the fire apparition had a good look at the intruder, he wondered just why he even bothered ambushing in the first place. One glance at the man's scholarly appearance and anyone with half a brain would realize that even a straight punch to the face would lay him flat, let alone a surprise attack. Seritsu grinned at Hiei, the smile widening as she took in his furious features.

"This, my dear, is the friend that I was talking about. His name is Naris."

Groaning and wincing in pain, Naris pulled himself up from the ground and nodded at Hiei.

"Zel nor nes arkira vos."

Hiei glowered at the man. Does no one here speak proper Japanese? And even then, the few who knows Japanese in this world have such strange pronunciations. It's more like singing rather than speaking. But… The short youkai frowned to himself. It reminded him of someone, someone… familiar. In another world and another time, he had also heard a person speaking Japanese in the same lyrical way as those in this world. Was it someone he knew? If he could just…

Smack.

Ruby eyes lit up at the offender who dared to hit him on the side of the head. Seritsu grinned widely, showing a mouthful of perfect teeth.

"Since everyone's here, let's go back to the room then. Well, ladies first."

As Hiei stalked past Seritsu, one wonders just how long it would take before the fire apparition burst a blood vessel to anger…

Naris limped up beside Seritsu and followed the woman's gaze towards Hiei's figure. He chuckled softly as Hiei disappeared up the stairs and slammed shut the door.

"_So she's the one that you called me for? Doesn't look too intimidating… What do you want me for anyways? If you wanted confirmation, you could have gotten that for free and…"_

Seritsu gave a good natured sigh. Humans will always be humans; curious to the point of throwing one's life away. Then again, wasn't she also one of those humans, someone who would risk their life just to stop that little nagging question in their minds? It's not healthy for one's life though; curiosity tends to reward its followers with bad luck. _But…_ The woman grinned to herself as she hurried Naris up the stairs. _What is life without a little excitement? Isn't that the reason I took this job?_

Stepping into the room, Seritsu was happily surprised that her charge was _not_ hacking the room into tiny bits, but sitting silently in a chair. She looked over at Naris.

"_Shall we?"_

"_You _do _remember that I don't speak Palien, right?_"

Seritsu waved a careless hand as the two strolled over to Hiei's seat.

"_You don't need to ask; I'll translate. _Ah, Hiei. We are about to start, so just sit there and don't move."

Strangely enough Hiei listened to her request, lounging in the chair and looking up at the two with his usual glare. The woman glanced at Naris. He smiled and nodded, shuffling a few steps to the left and positioning himself right in front of Hiei. The man looked down at Hiei's small figure as he spoke the Words necessary for this examination. _Let's just hope that I won't be tumbling down the stairs again… This woman's looking awfully infuriated. Guess I better get moving then._

He spoke all the Words, checked and re-checked their order, pronunciation and over-all compatibility. Having made sure that everything was exactly how it's suppose to be, Naris drew in a deep breath.

"_Alright. I'm going to ask you one question."_

He waited for Seritsu to translate. Closing his eyes, Naris prepared for the onslaught of memories as he asked that magical question.

"_Who are you?"_

_ -_

Hooded eyes glance down the opaque glass, occasionally lingering on one of the news titles before sweeping away onto another. Above, the constant roll of never-ending clouds had begun to turn from orange to gold. It was nearing noon and yet the amber gaze was still clouded with remnants of sleep.

It has a very interesting past few days. After her rejection of Areth's proposal, Roviel thought nothing more of the matter and left to re-familiarize with the country. She thought nothing more of the girl that she had obviously pissed of… Until a few hours later when she walked out of a store and the said pissed girl was standing right outside, glaring at Roviel with a very determined look on her face. Roviel sighed and grinned at Areth.

"Look, I'm sorry if I burst your bubble, but it's against my policy to do charity work. Why don't you go and look for someone else who can help you instead of glaring at me like that."

No response. Areth simply stood there as she continued to stare. Roviel heaved a loud breath; looked like her refusal had more impact upon the girl that she had thought. It was quite unsettling to have someone stare at you in unblinking silence. Well, there wasn't much she could do anyhow; it was nearly dinner-time and the woman was feeling hungry. And nothing can stand between her and her food… _nothing_. Swerving past the immobile Areth, Roviel prodded off in the direction of a nice restaurant that she saw earlier in the day.

After five minutes of walking Roviel had realized that she was being followed. A glance back showed that her pursuer was, indeed, Areth. At first Roviel took no notice of her presence, but as the night went on the woman began to wonder. Just why was she being followed? The girl did not make any move to approach her, but just followed her like a bur. It was later dinner, when Roviel was strolling back to her hotel, did she realize the reasons for Areth's strange actions.

So, they wanted to make sure that, if she was not to side with them, that she wouldn't side with anybody. Not only that, but by allowing Areth to so obviously show her presence clearly told the woman that they meant no harm. But perhaps the most obvious message was that, by having her openly followed, they are stating that they would not let her go so easily. A yawn escaped her lips as fingers raked through autumn-colored locks. The woman grinned to herself, a small twist of the lips which foretold the amusement that will come to pass. If they so wished to know and record down her every move, then let them. She suddenly turned, heading around a corner and away from her hotel. The woman was never the one to bow politely under the will of others, least when the matter of her freedom was questioned and touched upon. Oh she'll let Areth follow her alright, but for a bloody good price…

The first night was spent in a _tera-nil, _the equivalent of an earth pub or bar. Roviel took great pleasure in finding the cheapest, most rundown, ransacked place that held the greatest amount of drunks. _She_ marched in there with confidence, but behind her, the woman's little tail halted in its movements. As Roviel seated herself down on the cleanest seat and called out for a drink, she was wondering just what Areth would do? The orders were obvious; follow Roviel and don't let her out of your sight. But how far was the girl willing to follow the command? Enough to make her come into _this _place?

Apparently Roviel underestimated her little bur. Seconds later the door swung open and Areth's stiff frame barge into the place. Roviel chuckled as she raised her glass of drink towards the girl; it was going to be a long night for the stubborn child.

The next few hours passed in a blur. Roviel didn't remember much from that night, aside from knowing that she drank like hell, threw up, bought another drink to wash the vomit out of her mouth, drank some more, passed out and woke up just as morning light touched the cloud's linings. She then proceeded to half stumble, half crawl her way back to the hotel, pull herself up to her room, fell onto the soft bed and snored away until late into the afternoon. Awaking with one horrid headache and a thirst to match, the woman decided that a nice long soak in the bath would ease her hang-over. By the time enough alcohol was decomposed from her system that she could move and talk without wincing at the pain from her head, it was dark into the night. Roviel decided that she'll torture Areth the next day and went back to sleep on an empty stomach.

Next morning, the growling stomach had been the reason for her early awakening. After an early breakfast Roviel wasted most of the day wandering into various shops and window browsed. Areth, of course, was still there. The only thing that's different this time was that the girl had a distinct look of blood-lust in her eyes every time she looked at her charge. Considering that there was no recollection of the night, Roviel could only guess that going into that _tera-nil _was one of the worst decisions in Areth's life. Oh well…

As the day once again drew to a close and night glided softly across the shifting sky, Roviel pondered on her dilemma. Where to go now? Her recent alcohol binge and its effects were still clear in the woman's mind, and she didn't want to repeat that again anytime soon. So what's another place that would be entertaining to her and yet be annoying enough to burst another blood vessel in Areth's body? The eyes lingered upon a passing couple, smoky emeralds hooded in thought as they followed the couple's progress. Just where…

Ah! Of course! Why didn't she think of that before?

She turned suddenly and faced Areth, the first definite sign that she acknowledged the girl's presence.

"How much money do you have to use?"

Areth was dumbstruck. Not only was her target suddenly facing and talking to her, but she was suddenly asked to reveal her wealth. That's… random, to say the least. The girl replied in a halting voice.

"Enough… Why?"

Roviel gave her customary shrug; one shoulder rolling back in a single lazy action. She grinned happily at Areth.

"No reason. I was just wondering if you have enough wealth to spare in order to follow where I'm going next."

-

The history of Leianthos was, as history standards goes, quite interesting. Before the time of the Intrusion and near-extinction of Valdorian race, one woman by the name of Denarive took it to her head to create a place where political and racial disagreements could not touch. The daughter of a powerful government official, the woman grew up in a family who knew of nothing but the political game and battle of the wits. She soon tired of this lifestyle, detesting it with a deep loathing. And she planned to do something about it.

It was quite fortunate that Denarive was, at that time, the head Kestora Academy. Even back then the place was known for its high standards and the students it produced. In a act of total genius (or stupidity, depending on how one saw it), the woman rounded up her student and declared that whoever comes up with the best idea which would fulfill her wish would have their life expenses paid for the next decade. It was a tempting offer and everyone went to work. Soon, the idea of buying a block of property and creating a business where one could stay and relax while leaving all their political problems at the door was put forward. The customer could stay for a maximum of a year and a day, at which time they are protected by the business. In essence, it's like leaving one's identity at the door, throwing away all problems that are linked with one's identity and simply relax for how-long they wished.

Of course, such protection would cost a nice amount of money…

And that's how Leianthos was founded. Denarive invested half of her wealth into the project, buying a large block of land and building something similar to a small town. She then let the word out to the general population and sent her students to work at the place for two years as a school project (And thus, no wages, of course.)

Thousands of years had passed since then, and Leianthos had changed to the time. Not only have the business expanded all over the worlds, located on all the main countries of all twelve levels aside from the three layers of Isa. What used to be small towns of single or multi-leveled houses have now turned into gigantic high-rises, large panes of glass clear against the steel structure of the multi-leveled building. An occasional beach-house or condo was registered under the business's name, but they are rarely used and only there for special requests. The rules and regulations for its customers have also altered; no longer do Leianthos harbor anyone who's wealthy enough to pay. Criminals are not allowed to stay, nor are those who owe debts or someone who have death-threats upon their tail. One could not form alliances or deals within Leianthos's walls, nor bring any grudges from the outside into the place. The staffs at Leianthos were no longer un-paid students of Kestora Academy, but those who graduate from the place would be assured that they can find a job in the school-maintained business.

The current headmaster of Kestora Academy was the infamous Inoseki Rulia. Under her control the business have been quite good, or perhaps that was due to the high level of political fights these decades. Either way, the increase in costumers has been sufficient enough for Inoseki to raise its price. There were a few grumblers, but that's only to be expected. Still, Leianthos remained to be one of the most exclusive form of holiday and entertainment there was on this world.

And that's exactly where Roviel was heading to this moment.

-

One never realizes just how much one saves if one could tend to flaunt one's money less. Wanting to keep a low profile until she had enough information, Roviel had spent her last few days in an ordinary hotel, eating inexpensive food and buying from normal priced shops. It wasn't what she originally planned when the woman withdrew money from her account. Thus, when Roviel checked her wallet, she was happily amazed at how little she's spent during the last few days. A quick count revealed that there was no need for the woman to revisit the bank; she had enough to spend a week or so in Leianthos.

Areth's mind didn't really comprehend just what Roviel's question meant or what it implied. It wasn't until the pair arrived right outside the sky-scraper's front doors that a gigantic wave of dread crashed over the girl. Staring up at the building, Areth felt like tearing her hair out. She had followed Roviel for the past two days, followed her relentlessly despite what it held in store. She had kept the woman in sight and never wavered upon her watch even as it looked impossible. She had followed Roviel when the woman crawled back home drunk, when she spent the next day sleeping and drooling over the pillow, followed her as she stuffed her face in food and found amusement in chasing birds. Hell, she's stuck by her job even when the world seemed to end. But this was it; there was nothing she could do. She was going to fail…

Springing up towards the revolving door, Roviel looked back and smiled at Areth.

"Well, aren't you coming?"

The girl said something… Or at least Roviel guessed that she had wanted to say something. The strangled scream of frustration sort of stopped the words from coming out in a legible sound. And as Roviel glided through the glass doors and into the gigantic, richly furnished, temperature-regulated hall that was the reception, the woman could not wipe the grin of triumph from her face.

Ah, it's good to be rich…

* * *

There's more to this chapter, which I hope to update within the week. I AM still quite curious as to which Word ability you, the reader, finds to be the most interesting. Yell it to me and I'll most likely be able to hear it. Now, before I go to sleep, a shamless plug:

- Engi no Jutsu, THE best Naruto Rp on the net. No other place have such a large array of archetypes, detailed jutsu and villages, variety of ranks, in-depth plotline and characters. Also, an added perk is that only those who have a good grasp of the English language would be able to Rp there. WARNING: Addiction to the site might result from visiting this link. Do not touch this site if you do not wish to diminish your social life by spending every waking moment on this forum.

- Slopeanime, my dearest anime site of all time. With free anime downloads, dedicated staff, friendly and helpful members and a cool HP/MP/EXP/Level thing that increases and decreases depending on how often you post, will give you the rank of a variety of online gaming jobs. My total MP is somewhat large than my total HP, but not by that much, which is why I'm the resident Sage/Alchemist.

Have a peek at the two sites if you have time. If you only have five minutes or so, try Slopeanime, cause once you touch Engi you'll never want to leave. It's seriously addictive, and not helped by the fact that it has such a good system. Damn...


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